Kerala: Arrest of MD Sad Radi highlights threat of Islamic jihadi sleeper cells network in Kasaragod region

Kerala’s growing vulnerability as a hub for Islamic jihadi networks has come to the fore with the arrest of Md. Sad Radi alias Md. Shab Sheikh, a Bangladeshi national, from Kasaragod. Linked to an Assam-based terror module, Shab Sheikh was apprehended by the Assam Special Task Force (STF) under UAPA charges after surveillance by Central Intelligence.  The search-and-seizure operations were held across Kerala, West Bengal, and Assam on the intervening night of December 17–18.

Shab Sheikh entered Kerala in November, posing as a construction worker. During his time in Padannakkad, he used forged documents, including a Bharatiya Aadhaar and Voter ID, to blend into the local community.

As per sources, when asked for identification, he claimed his documents were “missing,” raising suspicions. Further investigations revealed he was carrying a fake passport, setting off alarms about his sinister designs. Kerala Police are now probing the local support system that might have shielded him during his stay.

The arrest in Kerala is part of a larger investigation into a terror module connected to the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), an affiliate of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent. Alongside Md. Sad Radi, two operatives from West Bengal and five from Assam have been detained under Operation Praghat. This operation, led by the Assam STF, uncovered a plot to recruit sleeper cells across India, targeting prominent members of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and leaders of Hindu organizations.

OPERATION-PRAGHAT In a major Intelligence-led Nation-wide Operation, undertaken with the active assistance of the Kerala and West Bengal Police against a known Fundamentalist/Jihadi Global Terrorist Organisation (GTO), the Assam Police Special Task Force (STF), has apprehended… pic.twitter.com/TbQixcCVEY

— GP Singh (@gpsinghips) December 19, 2024

Evidence recovered from the arrested includes jihadi propaganda materials, forged documents, and communication with handlers in Bangladesh. Experts warn that sleeper cells embedded in Kerala could serve as launchpads for coordinated attacks, posing a grave threat to national security.

Kerala has seen an influx of lakhs of migrant laborers from northern states such as Bihar, Odisha, Assam, and West Bengal. However, organizations like the BJP and Hindu nationalist groups have long raised concerns over the unchecked migration of Bengali-speaking workers, alleging that many of them are illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators entering India via West Bengal’s porous border. These allegations have gained credence with the Kasaragod arrest, reinforcing fears of Kerala becoming a safe haven for extremist elements.

Both the former CPM-led Left government and the current TMC regime in West Bengal have been accused of turning a blind eye to illegal immigration. Nationalist organizations argue that the influx of undocumented migrants, often armed with forged ID cards, poses a severe threat to national security. Kerala’s hospitable policies and lack of stringent audits on migrant laborers have allegedly made the state a preferred destination for such elements.

Kerala has increasingly come under scrutiny for its links to Islamic terrorism, with nearly 200 incidents flagged by security agencies since 2009, according to the South Asian Terrorism Portal (SATP).

ISIS-Related Incidents in Kerala:

Kasaragod and Palakkad Youth Joining ISIS (2016): A group of Muslim youths from Kasaragod and Palakkad traveled to Afghanistan to join the ISIS-Khorasan Province (ISIS-K).

In February 2017, the NIA arrested Mouinudheen Parakadavath, a 25-year-old resident of Kanhangad, Kasaragod district, for his involvement in an ISIS conspiracy module.

In April 2018, Riyas Aboobacker, also known as Abu Dujana, a 29-year-old resident of Palakkad, was arrested by the NIA.

The Popular Front of India (PFI), a radical Islamist organization, which was banned in September 2022 has a key stronghold of in the state.

The state’s role as a recruitment ground and safe haven for Islamic extremist activities is attributed to a combination of nexus between the Communists and Islamic forces, including local Muslim support networks and inadequate oversight of radical elements.