8 Bangladeshi Nationals Arrested in Pune, Mumbai for Alleged Terror Links

Eight Bangladeshi nationals were arrested over the last three days in India over their alleged terror links. Of them, two persons were arrested at Mumbai by the Pune unit of the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) on March 18 for their alleged links to the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), a terror outfit of Bangladesh said to be a front organization of Al Qaeda. Six more suspects were arrested at Pune by the Maharashtra ATS on March 16 and 17  for allegedly sheltering suspected terrorists of ABT, the Hindustan Times reported.

The two Bangladeshis detained on March 18 were living in Navi Mumbai and were in contact with three of the suspects arrested at Pune on March 17, a senior ATS official was quoted as saying in the report. Their role in making forged identification documents is being investigated, the report added.

Three of the Bangladeshi citizens arrested from Pune have been identified as Mohammad Ripan Hossein, 25, Hannan Anwar Khan alias Hanan Babarali Ghazi, 28, and Mohammadwadi Habibur Rahman alias Raj Jesub Mandal, 31.

“The three Bangladeshi nationals had been staying illegally, without any authorized travel documents for the past five years in Wanowrie areas and Akurdi areas,” a senior official of the Maharashtra ATS said, according to PTI. Two of those arrested were from Khulna, while the third one hailed from Shariatpur district in Bangladesh, it added.

The trio was produced before Session Judge RN Sardesai who remanded them in police custody till March 29.  During their interrogation, they revealed that they had given shelter and other assistance to the members of ABT when they were staying in Pune, added the official.

The Pune unit of Maharashtra ATS, acting on specific inputs, conducted a search operation in Wanowrie on March 17 and held one Bangladeshi national. His interrogation led the ATS to nab two more Bangladeshi nationals who were staying at Akurdi. “During his interrogation, he provided information about two more Bangladeshi nationals, who were staying illegally in Akurdi, after which the duo was also nabbed,” he was quoted as saying by PTI. The due had also obtained PAN and Aadhaar cards by using fake documents.

“Investigation has revealed that these accused and their accomplices were helping the active members of ABT, which is supposedly a front organization of Al-Qaeda, to hide in India and were also helping terrorist activities financially and through various other ways,” the officer said, according to PTI.