NIA arrests 13 for links with Bangladesh terror outfit
You don’t have any Active Subscription.
Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested 13 people in connection with a subversive conspiracy by an offshoot of the Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), a banned terrorist group.
The suspects were arrested during searches at 16 locations in Assam, Kerala and West Bengal, the agency said on Tuesday (September 29, 2026). Of the 13 accused, eight were from Assam, four from West Bengal, and one from Kerala.
The case stems from the initial arrest of 11 people by the Assam police on December 28, 2025, from Assam, Tripura and West Bengal. Two days later, the Special Task Force of the Assam police registered cases against these 11. Subsequently after two more days 24 others were also booked over an online radicalisation module operated through the Purva Akash Telegram group by Bangladesh-based handlers of Imam Mahmuder Kafila (IMK), a JMB offshoot.
The NIA’s investigation revealed the involvement of the accused in an IMK conspiracy to spread the terror outfit’s ideology in West Bengal and the northeastern States. “The conspiracy involved promotion of the terrorist organisation’s extremist agenda, radicalisation of vulnerable youth, and expansion of the outfit’s network in India,” the agency said in a statement.
The anti-terror agency determined that a senior member of the JMB, Imam Mahmud Habibullah, established the IMK to promote the banned outfit’s agenda on Indian soil.
The NIA also discovered that the accused conspired to expand the influence of IMK and JMB in India through clandestine meetings, religious indoctrination programmes, circulation of extremist literature, and use of digital platforms for anti-India propaganda.
“Ten accused in the case—nine Bangladeshi nationals and one Indian—remain absconding,” the NIA said.
The NIA has arrested Thangmang Haokip, 48, of Manipur’s Churachandpur district, in a case relating to the IED attack on a home in Tronglaobi Awang Leikai at Moirang in Bishnupur district on April 7. Two children died and another person was injured in the attack.
Haokip is the second person after S. Palal Thadou Kuki to be arrested in the case. The latter, arrested on August 12, is in judicial custody.
The NIA produced Haokip before the Special NIA Court-II in Imphal after arresting him on September 25. The court remanded him to 12-days of police custody.
The NIA also arrested Jangminlun Singson, 44, and Thangjoel Haokip, 21, of Churachandpur district for involvement in an ambush on the convoy of Manipur’s former Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh on June 10, 2024. The incident happened near K. Sinam village in Kangpokpi district. Two other accused in the case were arrested earlier.
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.
