In a significant counter-terrorism operation, the Assam Police Special Task Force (STF) has dismantled a critical module of the Bangladesh-based extremist outfit Imam Mahmuder Kafila (IMK). The group, described as an offshoot of the proscribed Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), was actively recruiting and radicalising youths across Assam and neighbouring states.
Cross-Border Links and Arrests Following Regime Change
A total of eleven individuals have been apprehended in connection with the module. Ten were arrested from various districts in lower Assam—Barpeta, Baksa, Chirang, and Darrang—while one was held from Tripura. The arrests followed a late-night operation on Monday, as confirmed by Special Task Force chief and Guwahati Police Commissioner Partha Sarathi Mahanta.
Police investigations revealed a direct link between the module's increased activity and the political shift in neighbouring Bangladesh. Following the regime change in Bangladesh in August 2024, top leaders of JMB, Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), and al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) allegedly directed the IMK leadership to activate and expand its Indian networks. Two Bangladeshi nationals, identified as Umar and Khalid, were assigned to coordinate activities in Assam.
Modus Operandi: Social Media, Funding, and Cross-Border Travel
The IMK module employed a sophisticated digital strategy to further its aims. The group used encrypted social media platforms for radicalisation, recruitment, propaganda dissemination, and fundraising. One key platform was a group named 'Purva Akash', which served as a primary channel for communication and enlisting new members.
Funds were raised through hawala channels and even digital payment systems like UPI, highlighting the group's adaptation to modern financial tools. Furthermore, the module facilitated cross-border travel for selected recruits to undergo training in Bangladesh. Investigators found that some Assam-based operatives travelled to Bangladesh earlier this year using valid passports and visas for this purpose.
"Video oaths of Indian recruits were also sent to handlers in Bangladesh. Extremist material recovered in Assam mirrors content earlier seized during IMK-related operations in Bangladesh, indicating sustained cross-border coordination," Commissioner Mahanta stated.
Ideology and Key Arrests
The IMK, banned in India, was formed in 2018 by Jewel Mahmud, also known as Imam Mahmud Habibullah or Sohail, a former JMB member who proclaims himself the amir (leader) of the outfit. The group propagates the ideology of "Ghazwatul Hind" (the conquest of India) and aligns itself with transnational jihadi organisations.
Police have charged the arrested individuals under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967. The alleged head of the Assam cell is Nasim Uddin alias Tamim (24) from Barpeta Road. Other arrested individuals include Mizanur Rehman, Sultan Mehmud, Siddique Ali, Sharuk Hussain, Dilbar Razak, Rasidul Aalam, Mahibul Khan, Junab Ali, Afrahim Hussain, and Jagir Miah.
Security Implications and Political Response
The bust has underscored persistent security challenges along India's eastern border. Commissioner Mahanta noted that after the fall of the Hasina government in Bangladesh in 2024 and the subsequent release of IMK's amir, the group's recruitment and mobilisation activities reportedly accelerated.
Reacting to the development, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma remarked on the long-term nature of the challenge, stating, "Fundamentalists are definitely active in Assam and the issue of fundamentalists will remain for long as Bangladesh is Assam’s neighbouring country." The operation highlights the ongoing efforts by Indian security agencies to monitor and neutralise cross-border extremist networks that seek to exploit regional political changes.
