The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Detective Branch (DB) arrested three members of the banned militant organization Jama'atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya, including its chief recruiter, early Tuesday.
At a press conference at the DMP Media Centre Tuesday afternoon, DB chief Additional Commissioner Harunor Rashid said the three were arrested from the Kallyanpur bus stand area in Mohammadpur.
Among the arrestees, Jama'atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya chief recruiter Rana Sheikh, alias Amir Hossain, was working at the Alfa Islamic Life Insurance Company as a unit manager. Habibur Rahman, who was also arrested, was Amir’s employee at the same company.
The third suspect, Moshiur Rahman alias Milan Talukder, is a member of the Islamic Jurisprudence Movement and long-time member of Jama'atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya.
At the time of the arrest, three smartphones and two button phones were seized from the suspects. The phones contained videos and pictures of militants undergoing training, as well as records of money being sent to the Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA), said the DB chief.
Fugitive members of the banned militant organizations Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HUJI-B), Ansar Al Islam and Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) had come together to form Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya, he added.
“The leaders and members of this banned militant organization believe in a religious war called ‘Gazwatul Hind.’ They believe that at some point there will be a major attempt to exterminate Muslims in India under the leadership of Dajjal. They believe that those who participate in this religious war to uphold the religion of Islam and protect Muslims will have the same dignity and virtue as the martyrs or Ghazis who participated in the Battle of Badr,” Harunor Rashid explained.
According to the DB chief, Amir Hossain went to Mymensingh in 2002 for training under Maulana Abdur Rauf, who has since been convicted as a militant and sentenced to death. Amir studied at a madrasa located in Bhaluka, and also was trained in military and unarmed combat as a member of HUJI-B there.
In 2003, a total of 18 members, including his father, uncle, and sister-in-law were caught by the police at Boalmari in Faridpur during a meeting with Huzi leader Maulana Abdur Rauf.
Subsequently, Amir began recruiting new members while using his employment at the insurance company as a cover. He recruited Habibur Rahman, one of his employees, and preparations were being made to send Habibur to Bandarban for training.
Amir had previously sent three other individuals to Bandarban for training under the Kuki-Chin National Army. He has transferred hundreds of thousands of taka to the group in several instalments.
In return for money, the KNA trains Sharqiya members in hostile environment survival, unarmed combat, handling assault rifles, making and using explosive devices, and close-quarters combat.
The DB chief said that many of Jama'atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya’s members have already been arrested in operations by various police units.
“The organization had 53 members, 49 of whom have already been caught. The arrested Rana currently serves as the organization's chief recruiter,” he added.
“The organization’s plan was to recruit members from all over the country. If we could not arrest them, another group might have been sent to the mountains for training. The arrested will be sent to the court with a 4-day remand application. I will try to find the culprits who are involved with them. Everyone involved will be brought to justice,” Harunor Rashid said.
Jama’atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya has been active since 2017. In 2019, it took the name Jama’atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya after bringing together leaders and workers of several Islamist militant groups, including Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), Ansar al-Islam (AAI), and Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HUJI-B).
