Kolkata Police's STF arrests man over link with Bangladeshi terror group

Kolkata: The Kolkata Police's Special Task Force (STF) has arrested a man for his alleged association with the banned Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) from the India-Nepal border, taking the total number of people in custody for links with the Bangladeshi terror outfit to five.

Omar Farooq alias Mohammed Aftab Khan was arrested by the STF sleuths from the Nepal border area when he was trying to escape to the neighbouring country, a senior official said.

The sleuths had announced a reward for any information on Khan and two others -- Shopon Biswas alias Tamim and Nayan Gazi alias Zafor.

With Khan's arrest, the total number of people arrested by the Kolkata Police for their alleged links with the Bangladeshi terrorist group has risen to five.

Acting on the information obtained after grilling the four other arrested persons, a police team conducted a raid at a hideout near the India-Nepal border and nabbed Aftab.

The accused was attached to the banned terror outfit's explosives wing and was an expert in preparing improvised explosive devices (IEDs), the official said.

Aftab had entered India with the help of Mohammad Sahadat Hossain, who was arrested from central Kolkata last week, he said.

The accused, along with Tamim, had stayed at a hotel in Howrah for a couple of days, the official said.

The STF had last week arrested two ABT terrorists, Samsad Mia and Rizaul Islam, along with an arms supplier, Monotosh Dey, from the Kolkata railway station and seized several fake identity cards and arms from their possession.

The terrorists were suspected to be behind the killing of secular bloggers and writers in Bangladesh.