NIA Widens Crackdown on Al-Qaeda’s India Links; Bangladeshi Illegal Immigrants Under Lens
New Delhi, November 13 — The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has intensified its crackdown on an alleged Al-Qaeda-linked terror module spread across five states, exposing a deep-rooted network of illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators operating within India.
In a fresh round of searches, NIA teams raided multiple locations in West Bengal, Tripura, Meghalaya, Haryana, and Gujarat, targeting premises linked to suspects and their associates in the Al-Qaeda Gujarat terror conspiracy case.
The operation, launched early this week, led to the seizure of several digital devices and incriminating documents, which have been sent for forensic examination.
The case, registered by the agency in June 2023 under various sections of the UA(P) Act, IPC, and the Foreigners Act, traces its roots to what investigators describe as a covert financial and motivational network meant to radicalize youth and fund Al-Qaeda activities.
So far, the NIA probe has identified four Bangladeshi nationals — Mohammad Sojub @ Mein Munna, Khalid Ansari @ Munna Khan, Azur Islam @ Jahangir @ Akesh Khan, and Abdul Latif @ Momunul Ansari — who allegedly entered India illegally using forged identity documents.
These men were reportedly in touch with Al-Qaeda operatives in Bangladesh, collecting and transferring funds to support terror-linked activities while also attempting to radicalize Indian Muslim youth.
The NIA had earlier, on November 10, 2023, filed a chargesheet against five accused persons before the NIA Special Court in Ahmedabad.
However, officials say the investigation is “far from over,” with the focus now shifting to uncovering the wider financial and logistical networks that may still be active across the eastern border states.
As the probe deepens, the case once again highlights India’s porous border vulnerabilities and the emerging pattern of cross-border radicalization — an issue that has long posed a challenge to national security agencies.
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