Kolkata: In a major catch, an active Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) operative from West Bengal who had been on the run for the last five years was arrested by the special task force (STF) of the Kolkata Police from Tamil Nadu.
Asadullah Sheikh, alias Raja (35), who is a trainer in the JMB, was caught from his hideout at Neelangarai in Chennai by a team of STF officers in plainclothes early Tuesday.
He had been staying at the house on rent for the past three months using fake documents, according to sources. Several documents were seized from him during the raid which took place following a specific tip-off.
Asadullah was booked under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 121 (waging war against the state), 121A (conspiracy to wage war), 122 (collection of arms to wage war), 123 (concealing with intent to facilitate design to wage war), 124A (instigation of hatred in written or spoken towards government and 125 (waging war against any Asiatic Power in alliance with the Government of India) of the Indian Penal Code.
He was produced at Alandur Court in Chennai in the afternoon. The judge has granted the STF three days' transit remand for Asadullah, said joint commissioner of police (STF) Subhankar Sinha Sarkar.
Originally hailing from Nityanandapur village at Bhatar in Burdwan East of West Bengal, Asadullah is a contemporary of top JMB leader Ejaz Ahmed of Birbhum who was arrested by the STF from Bihar last month. He also worked with Ejaz closely, sources revealed.
Asadullah is one of those JMB members of the Burdwan-Birbhum-Murshidabad terror module who had fled the state in wake of the Burdwan blast in October 2014 to take shelter in south India, sources added. After moving to Chennai, Asadullah however visited his native place recently.
Like Ejaz, he had also undergone training at Simulia Madrasa at Mangalkot which turned out during the National Investigation Agency's probe to be the main camp to indoctrinate fresh recruits from the state and beyond for the terror outfit. Asadullah became an instructor later.
He was roped in by JMB operative Kauser, arrested in Burdwan blast later, and the organisation's commander Salahuddin to revamp and stengthen the outfit in the post-Burdwan blast years.
Sources disclosed that Asadullah played a key role in training the JMB team which was involved in the 2018 Bodh Gaya blast besides his participation in other subversive activities.
The STF came to know about Asadullah after arresting another JMB operative Mohammed Abul Kashem, alias Kashem (22), a close aide of Ejaz, from Canal East Road in north Kolkata recently. During interrogation Kashem revealed Asadullah's activities and movements from West Bengal to Tamil Nadu. Subsequently an STM started camping in Chennai.
