Bangladeshi terror outfits amend style of functioning in West Bengal

Terror outfits based out of neighbouring Bangladesh, especially the most ferocious Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), who indulge in cross-border nefarious activities, seem to have changed their tactics. Sleuths probing the JMB case are now saying that instead of increasing members of their sleeper cells, the outfits are now focusing more on selective, but highly motivated and trained persons.

Kolkata:Terror outfits based out of neighbouring Bangladesh, especially the most ferocious Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), who indulge in cross border nefarious activities, seem to have changed their tactics. Sleuths probing the JMB case are now saying that instead of increasing members of their sleeper cells, the outfits are now focusing more on selective, but highly motivated and trained persons. Training in handling explosives seems to be the latest goal of the outfits.

Previously, getting more and more recruits for the sleeper cells was the area of focus for JMB in West Bengal. But that is no more the target. Rather the focus now is to pick up selective, but highly motivated and trained persons from the recruits and train them on sophisticated explosives making. And this training is intended mainly through the virtual platform. The three suspected JMB activists who have been arrested from the southern outskirts of Kolkata recently got similar explosives manufacturing training from their superior leaders.

In the face of integration, the trio has admitted that they were in regular touch with the top JMB leaders who are now based out of Bangladesh and operating from there. The investigating sleuths have secured the names and mobile numbers of several top JMB leaders from the trio.

Besides a team of the special task force (STF) of the Kolkata Police and a team of National Investigation Agency (NIA) is also investigating the matter. The NIA team has also been interacting with their counterparts in Bangladesh's counter-terrorism unit in this regard. The NIA sleuths have secured information that some top explosive experts associated with JMB, who are based out of Bangladesh, are imparting explosives manufacturing training to JMB cadres scattered in different parts of this sub-continent.

The three arrested from the southern outskirts of Kolkata namely Najiur Rahman, Rabiul Islam, and Seikh Sabir was in regular touch with this section of the JMB leaders. From this point, the sleuths suspect that the trio had also received explosives manufacturing training.

Already the name of one John David alias Sabbir has surfaced in the forefront. But who is this John David? Bangladesh counter-terrorism unit has informed that this John David is an explosives expert specialised in making sophisticated explosives like the improvised explosive devices, among others. He is also a militia commander of JMB in the Maimansingh district of Bangladesh.

His task is to recruit and motivate youths from Maimansingh, Jamalpur, and Tangail areas and give them explosives manufacturing training practically as well as through the virtual platform. Apart from that, he was responsible for giving similar training through the online platform to the different JMB sleeper cells in different states of India.