Guwahati: Assam’s Special Task Force(STF) has carried out a major crackdown on suspected terror activity, arresting three people having been linked to a Pakistan-based terror network. The coordinated operations were carried out on July 24, with STF teams working alongside district police in Dhubri, Chirang and Barpeta. The operations were launched as a part of the STF Police Station Case No. 06/2026 investigation.
The arrested Islamist terrorists were identified as Akramul Islam (26) of Dhubri district, Aminur Rahman (22) of Chirang district and Abdul Hussain (54) of Barpeta district. STF SSP Pranab Kumar Pegu said that the operations were carried out on the basis of specific intelligence on Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN) activities taking place in lower Assam districts.
The three criminals arrested are suspected to have links with the Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN), a group based in Pakistan. Officials of STF say this marks the second such arrest of individuals connected to a Pakistan-based terror outfit by STF in Assam. Prior to this STF in May 2026 arrested terrorist links with SBN from Nalbari district of Assam.
STF officials said the arrests followed credible intelligence about the network’s activities. SSP Pegu said that the Shahzad Bhatti Network is involved in a range of illegal and anti-national activities, including recruiting members, spreading radical ideology online, scouting locations, managing logistics, gathering intelligence, illegally procuring weapons, setting up sleeper cells, and helping plan terrorist activities in different parts of the country.
STF sources said that the initial investigation prior to these arrests indicates that the network is planning something bigger in Assam and other parts of the country. According to the STF, intelligence inputs suggest that the group works in coordination with, and takes direction from, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The network is believed to stay in touch with its handlers in Pakistan through encrypted communication channels, making it harder to trace.
STF also seized 5 mobile phones, 7 SIM cards, Bank Passbooks, ATM cards, Aadhar card and several indiscriminating documents from the arrested terrorists. STF sources said that the investigation of the SBN in Assam will take new momentum after the latest arrests. STF successfully busting several terror modules having links with Bangladesh based terrorist groups and the recent success of cracking the Pakistan based terror module in Assam is the evidence of growing radical Islamic terror threats in the state.
