Another active member of ABT identified

Kolkata: The Special Task Force (STF) of Kolkata Police has come to know about another active member of the Operation Group of Al-Qaeda's Indian sub-continent network Ansar Bangla Team (ABT). Police suspect that they had sneaked into the country along with the four others and are still hiding somewhere in the county itself.

Umar Farrukh, alias Mahi alias Aftab, is the fifth ABT members about whom the police have come to know so far. Out of these five, the police have already arrested two — Samsad Mia (26), alias Tanvir and Riyaz (25), alias Riyazul Islam from Kolkata Station on Wednesday. Along with the duo, the police had also arrested arms dealer Monotosh De and later an agent Sahadat. After interrogating them, the police came to know about Shopon Biswas, alias Tamim and Nayan Gazi (28), alias Zafor on Friday. Name of Mahi came to light during further investigation.

Sources said Mahi is an active member of the Operation Group of the ABT and he had stayed in a hotel at Howrah where Tamim and Nayan Gazi had put up for three days in the first week of October.

The police have intensified raids to arrest all three — Tamim, Nayan and Mahi — as early as possible.

The police have come to know about the three of them after the arrest of Sahadat as he had helped them to cross the Indo-Bangladesh border illegally.

The police have come to know that the ABT activists had entered the country through the bordering Gachha village at Basirhat in North 24-Parganas. The investigating officers have also come to know that they had also stayed in some places in the village for a few days after crossing the border and marching ahead to their respective destinations.

During investigation at the hotel near Howrah Station, its employees told the police that they had allowed them to board only after seeing their identity proofs which were fake. So the police are also trying to find out as to how they had managed to get the fake identity proofs.

At the same time, the police learnt about a unique way of communication through which they used to share information among themselves and there was a perfect time everyday when they used to have discussions to chalk out their future course of action and were directed to maintain good relation with neighbours so that no one suspects them.