Staff Reporter
Guwahati: In a massive pan-India crackdown on Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday conducted searches at multiple locations in five states and arrested an accused while apprehending 10 suspects in Assam's Goalpara, along with others.
The 10 operatives in Assam were apprehended by the NIA with the help of local law enforcement agencies, including STF. The search operations were carried out in Assam, Maharashtra, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, and Uttar Pradesh.
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma commented on the development, saying, "The threat of Islamic fundamentalism in Assam is very real, and it is a big challenge in some places. Today, some JeM suspects were rounded up by the NIA in Assam. Every time raids are carried out, at least one from Assam is held. They are active in the state and said to be involved in terror financing. In another 10 to 15 years, indigenous people will face problems."
A NIA release stated that Sheikh Sultan Salah Uddin Ayubi @ Ayubi was taken into custody after searches at 26 locations in the states of Assam, Maharashtra, UP, Delhi, and J&K. The accused was arrested on account of his incriminatory role in the conspiracy case (RC-13/2024/NIA/DLI). He will be produced before the NIA Special Court, Patiala House, New Delhi.
In addition, several other suspects have also been rounded up for questioning, including the 10 from Assam. During the searches, NIA teams seized several incriminating documents, electronic devices, pamphlets, and magazines. These are being examined for further leads and evidence against the suspects whose premises were searched today.
The suspects were engaged in radicalising individuals associated with JeM and were engaged in disseminating terrorist-related propaganda and radicalising and recruiting youth into the Jamaat outfit inspired by JeM. These suspects were involved in motivating youth into committing violent terror attacks across India, NIA investigations have revealed.
The premises searched by the NIA today were located in Goalpara (Assam), Aurangabad (MH), Jalna (MH), Malegaon (MH), Meerut (UP), Saharanpur (UP), Delhi, Baramulla (J&K), Puiwama (J&K), and Ramban (J&K). Investigations in the case are continuing, the NIA press release added.
This latest action comes after a series of similar raids by the NIA in other parts of India. According to initial reports, the detained suspects are also being investigated for their possible connections to terror financing and terrorist support groups. Officials are continuing their investigation, with searches and documentation still underway, sources divulged.
Also Read: Terror module busted in Jammu, 4 JeM terrorists arrested (sentinelassam.com)
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