The Special Task Force (STF) of the Assam Police apprehended 11 associates of the Bangladesh-based jihadi terror outfit, Imam Mahmuder Kafila (IMK), in coordinated operations across Assam’s Barpeta, Chirang, Baksa, and Darrang districts, as well as in Tripura. IMK is an offshoot of the banned Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).
Based on intelligence inputs, the STF conducted raids on the night of December 29 in multiple locations, leading to the arrest of 10 IMK associates in Assam and one in Tripura. These individuals were associated through a WhatsApp group called ‘Purba Akash’ for communication and coordination.
IMK, established in 2018 by Jewel Mahmud alias Imam Mahmud Habibullah alias Sohail, promotes the ideology of “Ghazwatul Hind.” Following a change in government in Bangladesh in August 2024, senior leaders of JMB, Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), and Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) directed IMK to activate and expand its Indian Modules.
The activities of IMK in Assam are overseen by Nasim Uddin alias Tamim of Barpeta Road, Assam, with coordination through a secure social media platform like ‘Purba Akash’. Individuals in Assam, West Bengal, and Tripura were being radicalized, recruited, and financially mobilized by the outfit, including those with Indian Passports and past visits to Bangladesh.
The extremist propaganda of IMK advocates violent Jihad and the armed conquest of India through digital platforms under the Ghazwatul Hind banner. The Assam police STF has previously arrested JMB associates from West Bengal, Kerala, and Assam in separate operations.
