New infiltration route chosen by JMB militants identified

The unfenced riverine Indo-Bangladesh border in Assam has been identified as the “new and safe” route chosen by Jamat-Ul-Mujahideen Bangladeshi activists to enter the country instead of taking risks to infiltrate through the bordering areas in Bengal.

This new route used by them has been unearthed by officers of the Special Task Force (STF) of the Kolkata Police during interrogation of the six top leaders of JMB who were recently arrested.

According to the sources in STF, around 60 km of the Indo-Bangladesh border in Assam is riverine and thus it still remained unfenced. 

Though 71 km out of the total 280 km of the Indo-Bangladesh border in Assam is still unfenced in patches, the safest route for the activists of the terror outfit is the unfenced riverine part of the border.

It is learnt that after assessing the present situation, Chief Minister of Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal wrote to the Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Monday stating that a specialised technology is required to seal the border completely and requested the Home Minister to take necessary steps in this regard as early as possible.

After entering India through the riverine route, the activists spend a few days in Assam itself. Narrating their style of functioning, a police officer said that they start moving towards Bengal and then South India only after their counterparts confirm that they would face no trouble in getting a “safe” hideout.

Similarly, those who were arrested on Sunday from North 24-Parganas and Cooch Behar had left Assam a few days ago and were arrested before reaching their hideouts in a neighbouring state of Bengal.

Six arrested JMB activists were caught from Assam, Cooch Behar and North 24 Parganas. Investigation revealed that both Enam, Md Rubel and Jahidul Islam, all are Bangladeshi nationals, and they had entered the Indian territory using the same riverine route with an intention to carry out terror activities in Assam and other North-east states. 

The white powder found in their possession will be sent for forensic tests. Police also suspect that a Sleeper Cell of JMB is operational in the city.

Cachar, Karimganj and Dhubri are the bordering districts in Assam. Jahidul, who was one of the prime accused in Khagragarh blast case, was arrested from his hideout in Cachar and he was initially caught on charges of circulating fake currency.

Till date, around 46 JMB activists and sympathisers were arrested from Assam till date and several hideouts of the banned outfit were neutralised in the past two years since the Khagragarh blast took place. 

They used to run training camps at the backdrop of physical fitness training centres. Changing their mode of operation, JMB activists now engage themselves in some sort of jobs and in between of their work they carry out the task to motivate youths to join JMB.

Now, the investigating agency has alerted that besides infiltration by activists of terrorist groups, the unfenced riverine border is the safe haven for drug peddlers and fake currency rackets.

The arrest of Jahidul has revealed the link of JMB and fake currency rackets. The investigating agency has started speculating that kingpins of fake currency rackets could be one of the financiers of the terror outfit and started probing that where the major share of the profit of the kingpin goes.