NIA, Assam Police begins probe into possible terror plot within hours of ISIS India head arrested in Assam

Assam Police had received inputs from central agencies about the presence of the ISIS leaders in the state and accordingly the operation was carried out.

Within hours of ISIS India head Haris Farooqi and his close aide Anurag Singh being arrested from Dhubri in Assam yesterday by Assam Police’s STF team led by Assam IGP (STF) Partha Sarathi Mahanta, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Assam Police have begun investigations into a possible ISIS terror plot to derail peace in the region as well as the entire nation ahead of the Lok Sabha elections and Assembly polls in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.

The two arrested have been handed over to NIA. Security agencies are making concerted efforts to ascertain the modus operandi of the radical terror group. IGP Mahanta briefed the media in Guwahati today and shared details about the arrests made.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗱?

Mahanta said, “About 15 days ago we received intelligence from a central agency that there could be movements of top rung ISIS leaders in certain parts of Dhubri district. This was a credible information which prompted Special Task Force (STF) to take action. We deployed are men to the areas of movement. And by March 18th we could narrow down our focus and by 19th we received specific information about the likely movement. Therefore I took an STF team along with Additional SP Kalyan Pathak. We went to general area Dharmashala of Dhubri on the intervening night of 19th and 20th. By about 4’o clock in the morning (on 20th) we found 2 men, they were moving on foot, apparently looking for a transport to move to their destination.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝘂𝗼 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱?

Regarding this IGP Partha Sarathi Mahanta said, “We had photographs of the ISIS leaders with us and two of the photographs matched with these two men.”

𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗾𝘂𝗶 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗻𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗵 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗵𝗮𝗻?

Throwing more light into this IGP Mahanta stated, “We could immediately identify them as Haris Farooqi, he is the head of ISIS (operations) in India. Harish Farooqi is from Dehradun, son of Ajmal Farooqi, resident of Ward-15, Gandhi Road, Dehradun in Uttarakhand. Along with him we found another man who was identified as Anurag Singh alias Rehan. He is from Panipat in Haryana, son of Manbir Singh, a resident of Diwana in Panipat.

He (Haris Farooqi) is an expert in recruitment, he is an expert in indoctrination, he can indoctrinate people, brain wash people very easily. You can look at the case of Anurag, where he changed to Rehan, was indoctrinated by him (Haris Farooqi). Apart from that he is an expert in managing and organizing funds and causing sabotage through IED blasts.”

𝗡𝗜𝗔 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲:

“In fact these two leaders are wanted in NIA cases. NIA had already shared that information with us and since cases are pending in NIA against these 2 ISIS leaders. We have handed over them to the NIA. The NIA is proceeding with their arrest and other legal procedures.NIA officials have already reached Assam,” Partha Sarathi Mahanta said.

Regarding the further investigations, IGP Partha Sarathi Mahanta said, “We will be working together with the NIA and any action that Assam Police needs to take regarding revelations and other facts that would come up during investigations. For other parts of the country NIA is already on the job and will be taking the follow up actions.”

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶, 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗸 𝗦𝗮𝗯𝗵𝗮 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?

Responding to this, the Assam Police IGP said, “That will come up only after proper investigation. So interrogation is on, investigation is on, as and when anything is found, we will take action.”

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗦𝗜𝗦 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿?

“It will be too early to say as to why they have selected this sector, but the information was credible, specific and so we could catch them,” IGP Partha Sarathi Mahanta said.

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