Two top leaders of ISIS in India were apprehended near the international border after crossing from Bangladesh, by Assam Police on Wednesday. They were planning sabotage activities and were apprehended from the Dharmasala area by the Special Task Force following a tip-off.
The individuals, identified as Haris Farooqi, also known as Harish Ajmal Farukhi, and his associate Anurag Singh, alias Rehan, were intercepted by a Special Task Force (STF) team deployed to the Dhubri sector based on intelligence received from sister agencies. The suspects, wanted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), were caught in the Dharmasala area of Dhubri after crossing the international border.
Assam Police Chief Public Relations Officer Pranabjyoti Goswami stated that both suspects were detained and later brought to the STF office in Guwahati. Farooqi hails from Dehradun, Uttarakhand, while Singh is from Panipat, Haryana. Singh’s wife is reportedly a Bangladeshi national, and he converted to Islam.
“Based on specific input, two top-rung leaders of ISIS in India were apprehended from the Dharmasala area of Dhubri Sector and brought to the STF office in Guwahati. The accused are also wanted accused of NIA,” Goswami said.
ISIS
Described as highly indoctrinated and motivated members of ISIS in India, the arrested individuals were involved in recruitment, terror funding, and planning terror acts using improvised explosive devices (IEDs). They are accused of furthering the ISIS cause in India through conspiracies for recruitment, terror funding, and terror acts using IEDs in various locations across the country.
The STF noted that both individuals face multiple cases registered against them by the NIA in New Delhi and the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) in Lucknow. The STF in Assam intends to hand over the accused to the NIA for further legal proceedings.
Goswami mentioned that information from sister agencies indicated that two high-ranking ISIS leaders in India, present in Bangladesh, would enter the country via the Dhubri sector for sabotage activities.
Acting on this intel, a team was dispatched to locate and apprehend them. “A search operation was conducted in the international border area to apprehend the suspects. Around 4:15 am on March 20, they were intercepted in the Dharmasala area of Dhubri after crossing the international border,” he explained.