Six of the arrested accused are Bangladeshi nationals and are active JMB cadres: NIA

New Delhi, May 26

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted searches at two locations in Uttar Pradesh in the Bhopal terror funding case involving the proscribed organization, JMB (Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, Bangladesh).

The raids were aimed at exposing further links and conspiracies of the 10 already arrested accused and charge-sheeted in the case by NIA Court, Bhopal. Six of the arrested accused are Bangladeshi nationals and are active JMB cadres. They had entered India illegally, without any valid documents, and had acquired false/ forged Indian identity documents with the help of their sympathizers in India. 

The officials said that the searches at the premises of various suspects led to the seizure of several digital devices (mobile phones), SIM cards, Bank Passbooks and Identity documents. The documents, currently under examination, relate to suspect transactions related to transfer of funds by the accused.

NIA investigations have revealed that all the 10 arrested accused were involved in influencing, radicalizing and motivating vulnerable Indian Muslim youth to take up violent Jihad against the democratic system of governance in the country. They had been circulating incriminating Jihadi literature, inflammatory videos and statements (Bayans,) and endorsing, justifying and glorifying the terrorist acts of the various banned terrorist organisations, including JMB, Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. 

They were conspiring to align with terrorist organisations to achieve their ultimate goal of establishing a Shariat based Islamic rule in India through pursuit of ‘violent Jihad’. They had grand plans of creating a pan-India network to pursue their objective and, along with their co-accused, had successfully established bases in various states, including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Tripura, West Bengal and Assam, officials added. 

The case was registered first with the Bhopal Special Task Force in the wake of the arrest of six active cadres of JMB from their rented house in Bhopal. A cache of Jihadi literature, digital devices, printer, paper cutting machine, book binding material etc. were also seized from the house. Given the ramifications of the case and developments for national security, the NIA had subsequently taken over the investigations and arrested four more accused.