Officials of India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) have expressed concerns over the spread of banned militant outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) in its seven-sisters and their taking shelter crossing the porous border.
At several meetings during their visit to Dhaka since Saturday, the NIA officials asked the Bangladeshi law enforcers to work jointly with a view to uprooting the militant dens in both the countries.
The NIA members also handed over to the police a list of Bangladeshi phone numbers, suspected to be used by JMB members. The Burdwan blast accused had communication with them on a regular basis. The NIA officials asked the police to track the persons using those numbers.
The three-member team led by its chief Sanjeeb Kumar Singh will leave Dhaka today.
The NIA investigators assume that not only the three Bangladeshi JMB members, but also six other fugitives, all accused in the Burdwan blast case, have been hiding in Bangladesh since the incident occurred on October 2 last year.
The top Indian agency has so far arrested 12 out of the 21 charge sheeted accused including one Bangladeshi, and sought the assistance of Bangladesh to arrest the nine absconders.
Yesterday, the NIA officials held a meeting with members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), the elite crime busters tasked with tackling militancy, at its headquarters in the capital’s Uttara.
RAB’s intelligence wing Director Lt Col Abul Kalam Azad told the Dhaka Tribune that the NIA officials had discussed militant activities in both the countries. They met with Col Ziaul Ahsan, acting director general of RAB.
Earlier, the NIA members held a meeting with the Detective Branch of police on Monday and met top officials at the Police Headquarters on Tuesday.
Officials who attended the meetings told the Dhaka Tribune that the NIA members had requested the police to work jointly to destroy the militant networks as they might be threatening for both countries.
Sources say the NIA members also shared their findings with the Bangladeshi law enforcers about the JMB’s plans. They said the JMB had established stronghold not only in West Bengal, but also in some parts of the seven-sisters of India including Assam and Jharkhand.
They asked Bangladesh officials to strengthen patrol along the bordering areas.
JMB has been operating its unit in India since 2006. Its founder Shayakh Abdur Rahman in a statement in 2006 mentioned about the West Bengal chapter terming it to be their 65th unit.
Banned in Bangladesh on February 23, 2005, the outfit aims to establish Islamic laws.
Sources said the visiting team also discussed the killings of secular bloggers including Avijit Roy, link of local militant groups with Al-Qaeda, snatching of JMB militants from police in Mymensingh last year and the recent bank heist in Ashulia, conducted reportedly by militants.
Another NIA delegation visited Bangladesh in November last year. Later a Bangladesh delegation comprising high officials of law enforcement and intelligence agencies visited India and assured the Indian intelligence of their assistance in locating the militants believed to be hiding in India.