GUWAHATI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday, September 29 arrested 6 Jihadis from Barpeta district of Assam for their links with Bangladesh based terrorist outfit Imam Mahmuder Kafila (IMK), an offshoot radical wing of Jamaat-ul Mujahedin Bangladesh (JMB).
NIA, with assistance from the Assam Police, carried out a series of raids in Barpeta district as the investigation agency intensifies the crackdown against Islamic radical elements operating from the state. The Bangladeshi origin Muslim majority Barpeta district has become a centrepoint of jihadi activities in Assam as numbers of radical Islamist were arrested from the district in the past also.
The 6 persons arrested by NIA have been identified as Mustafizur Rahman of Azad Nagar in Barpeta road area, Yakub Ali, Rakibul Islam of Howly area, Zakir Hussain, Sanbar Ali and Faruk Abdulla of Sorbhug area.
It should be mentioned that all 6 arrested Jihadis were earlier arrested in March this year for their links with IMK and later all were released by the court on bail. NIA received a confirmed intelligence report that after getting bail all 6 persons again involved with IMK in spreading its base in the state. According to intelligence input, IMK was established by JMB terrorist Imam Mahmud to expand JMB’s footprint in West Bengal, Tripura and Assam.
The prime suspect of the IMK network Mustafizur Rahman who runs a cloth shop in Jama Masjid road in Barpeta was arrested in March 2026 by Special Task Force (STF) for his link with IMK. During his arrest STF seized several incriminating documents on spreading radical ideology and electronic gadgets including laptop and mobile phones. In its investigation STF found that Rahman was involved in recruitment of Muslim youth in JMB using secret social media groups. STF in December 2025 busted the IMK module in Assam arresting 10 jihadis from various parts of lower Assam and another from Tripura.
Earlier in August this year, Special Task Force (STF) had arrested a suspected terrorist linked with Pakistan based terror module Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN). The arrest was made in Hailakandi district of southern Assam. The arrested jihadi Fazal Islam Barbhuyan was involved in setting the base of SBN in Barak Valley region of the state. STF conducted a raid in Ramnathpur area of Hailakandi and arrested Fazal Islam on 26th August. During the raid two mobile phones and incremental documents were seized and the investigation is on to bust the entire network. Recently the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) declared SBN as a banned terror outfit.
