NIA arrests 13 across three states over links to banned Bangladesh terror outfit

National Investigation Agency arrested 13 individuals across West Bengal, Assam and Kerala for alleged links to Imam Mahmuder Kafila (IMK), an offshoot of the banned Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh. Four were taken in West Bengal, eight in Assam and one in Kerala. ## Investigation Raids hit 16 locations, five of them in West Bengal, and seized phones, pen‑drives, memory cards and several extremist pamphlets used for digital indoctrination. An NIA official said the accused were trying to spread IMK’s ideology in West Bengal and north‑eastern states. The seized devices are being examined for links to Bangladesh‑based handlers. ## Background The Union government banned JMB and its manifestations under section 35 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in May 2019. People familiar with the case said Assam police had arrested 11 suspects in December 2025 from Assam, West Bengal and Tripura, registering a case against 35 people for an online radicalisation module on the Telegram group ‘Purva Akash’. Those 11 were later charge‑sheeted and remain in custody. At least ten accused, including nine Bangladesh nationals, are still absconding. Among the four held in West Bengal is an Imam seized in Mangalkot, East Burdwan; the other three were captured in South Dinajpur and South 24 Parganas districts. ## Context The arrests show a coordinated attempt to expand a foreign‑linked terror network using both religious outreach and digital tools.