4 arrested in Goalpara as NIA and STF launch joint anti-terror operation

Guwahati: In a major joint anti-terror operation, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Assam Police Special Task Force (STF) conducted extensive raids in Goalpara district, arrested four targeted areas including Tukura, Barpahar and Paikan on Thursday.

The raids, part of a wider operation against militant networks with alleged links to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), led to the arrest of four persons, identified as Sahanur Alam (Tukura), Abu Taleb (Borpathar), Sahanur Islam (Borpathar ). ) and Zaynal Abedin (Paikan).

Apparently Zaynal Abedin is the Imam of Majid at Milanpara in Tukura, Abu Talep is from Borpahar in Goalpara and Sahanur Islam has a computer shop in Govindpur.

The arrests align with a larger NIA investigation probing JeM’s radicalization and recruitment efforts in India.

The NIA recently raided 19 locations across India, including places in Assam, as part of its drive to dismantle terror networks. These investigations focus on modules that work to radicalize youth and establish extremist ideologies in the region.

The current NIA operations in Goalpara come amid heightened scrutiny following inputs about sleeper cells operating in the northeast. Authorities have confirmed that operations are underway in various parts of the country, including Anantnag, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, among others, to eliminate these networks and prevent further recruitment.

Of late, Assam has witnessed several anti-terrorist raids as authorities work to dismantle extremist networks operating in the region. A significant operation took place in October 2024 when a joint team of NIA and local police arrested 9 JeM operatives in Goalpara district of Assam.

The suspects would have been involved in the radicalization of young people and in the preparation of bases for terrorist activities. Similar raids in the past have also uncovered links to terror financing and recruitment efforts for extremist groups. Last month, the NIA also conducted simultaneous raids in Nagaon in connection with the Al-Qaeda conspiracy to destabilize India.