West Bengal (Islamist/Other Conflicts): Timeline (Terrorist Activities) -2015

The four major international airports of India in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata constitute about 94 per cent of instances of drugs smuggling and seizures, according to Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) data, The Times of India reports on January 4. Out of a total 63 incidents of narcotics detection and seizure at airports in the country in 2013, 59 were reported from these air facilities, one of the largest hubs in terms of passenger and cargo load. Only six per cent of cases were detected at the airports of Guwahati (Assam), Bangalore (Karnataka)and Madurai (Tamil Nadu).While Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport reported a total of 17 drugs seizure cases during the said period, the Chennai airport had 16 such instances while Kolkata and Mumbai airports registered 13 such instances each during 2013. Over 1,026 kilograms of narcotics, including Ketamine, Ganja, Heroin, Ephedrine and Pseudoephedrine were seized from these air facilities during the year leading to the arrest of 75 people under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the data said."Drug couriers are largely intercepted and detected at international airports as they have the facility of being connected to foreign shores. Instances of both the consignment being sent out of India or being brought in have been detected under these seizures," a senior anti-narcotics official said. Read less...

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) probing the October 2, 2014 Bardhaman blast case, on January 2 secured the transit remand of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) operative Sahanur Alam, reports New Indian Express. And it will enable NIA to take him to Kolkata (West Bengal) from Guwahati (Assam), where he will be produced in a special court there on January 3 (today) along with Rafikul Islam and Sariful Islam, who  had earlier been arrested for their alleged jihadi links.The NIA had named Sahanur as one of the suspects and announced a cash reward of  `five lakh for information leading to his arrest. Subsequently, the agency will seek their custody for interrogation.A key motivator of jihadi propaganda in Assam, Sahanur was arrested from Larkuchi in Assam’s Nalbari District on December 4. Assam Director General of Police (DGP) Khagen Sarma said Sahanur’s job mainly involved motivating jihadi recruits in Assam. “He was closely connected with the JMB. He maintained a very good rapport with the JMB leaders both in West Bengal and Bangladesh,” Sarma added. Read less...

Security Forces (SFs) arrested two suspected IK Songbijit faction of National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB-IKS) militants from Shamuktala area under the Shamuktala Police Station in Alipurduar District on January 4, reports The Shillong Times. The militants were nabbed of West Bengal close to the border with Assam. A huge quantity of arms and ammunition was recovered from them, police added. Read less...

Coast Guard vessels operating from West Bengal's Haldia and Frazergunj stations in Bay of Bengal have increased vigil along the east coast after intelligence reports warned of a possible terror strike before or during US President Barrack Obama's visit to India,The Times of India reports on January 7. "Greater vigil is being maintained with the help of ships, hovercrafts and aircraft along the coast. We are also interacting with all agencies. On Monday, Lieutenant General MMS Rai of Eastern Command visited Frazergunj and Haldia for interactions. During the visit, he was briefed about the strategic challenges in coastal security in the area. He also had a first-hand experience in a surveillance sortie in the hovercraft off the coast of Frazergunj and Jambudweep," a senior officer said. Read less...

To gather evidence against alleged Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) member Rejaul Karim, who was arrested in connection with Burdwan blast (October 2, 2014) case, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is now approaching forensic imagery experts to positively identify him as one of the JMB members seen in a video clip of a training session at the Simulia madrasa in Burdwan in West Bengal, reports The Indian Express on January 15. Rejaul has allegedly confessed that he attended the session, and that he can be seen on the edges of the frame in the clip shown to him by interrogators. However, only one side of his body is visible, while his face is not seen. NIA sources said they were sending the clip for digital enhancement and forensic analysis to positively identify Rejaul from any distinguishing features on his limbs. Read less...

On January 27, National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested four persons in connection with the October 2, 2014 Bardhaman blast case after carrying out raids across three districts of Birbhum, Nadia and Murshidabad. Among the arrested is one of the main recruiters for Bangladeshi terror group Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), Dalim Sheikh alias Faijul Hoque Sheik, reports The Times of India. The other arrested are Motiur Rehman alias Noor Alam, Habibur Rehman Sheikh and Ghiyasuddin Munshi. While Dalim hails from Birbhum and Motiur from Nadia, the other two are from Murshidabad. NIA's investigation revealed that senior cadres of JMB had established terrorist training centres and bomb making units in Beldanga and Mukimnagar in Murshidabad, Birbhum's Nanur and Burdwan's Khagragarh and Simulia. According to NIA, Dalim was involved in various terror activities including setting up bases and hideouts, raising and collecting funds, radicalising Indian citizens for JMB and providing tactical and material support to senior Bangladeshi members of the agency in spreading the network in India. Motiur worked closely with Shakil Gazi (who was killed in the Khagragarh blast on October 2) at Beldanga in Mushidabad. Motiur maintained hideouts, training centres and bomb making centres at Beldanga. Habibur was a close associate of Sajid alias Sheikh Rahmatulla (a senior Bangladeshi JMB cadre). Habibur maintained and ran the terrorist training camp at Mukimnagar madrasa (Islamic Seminary) in Murshidabad. Ghiyasuddin is a JMB member along with his wife. A close associate of Talah Sheikh, one of JMB's top spiritual heads, he singlehandedly trained recruits at the Mukimnagar madrassa. All the accused were produced in court on January 28 and sent to NIA remand till February 3. The Bardhaman blast accused were not just using madrasas (Islamic Seminary) as training centre for terrorists but even assembling bombs in the garb of running burqa (veil) stitching units. The accused revealed to NIA that they had set up a burqa stitching unit as a front for assembling bombs in Beldanga, West Bengal. This unit was also being used to recruit people for terror activities and training them. "JMB had set up a tailoring unit in which its members used to stitch burqas. This, however, was a front for using the site to assemble bombs. The unit was run by Motiur Rehman, a close associate of Shakil Ghazi who was killed in the October 2 blast. Rehman was also responsible for maintenance of hideouts and recruitment," said an NIA officer. "Dalim was heading the Nanur Madarsa in Bolpur (Birbhum District). He used to spot potential recruits and then give them daawat (invitation) to JMB," said the officer. The investigations have also revealed that senior members of JMB had established terrorist training centres and bomb making units in Beldanga and Mukimnagar of Murshidabad, Nanur of Birbhum and Khagraghar and Simulia of Bardhaman District. Read less...

On January 28 in Kaliachak of Malda District, the Border Security Force (BSF) seized Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICNs) with a face value of INR one million, reports echoindia.com. The fake notes were in denominations of INR 1,000 and INR 500. Read less...

Fishing boats less than 20 metres in length continue to pose security threat along the West Bengal and Odisha coasts, says the Coast Guard, The Times of India reports on January 31. While larger vessels are fitted with Automatic Identification Systems (AIS), there is no mechanism to regulate the movement of the smaller boats. Though nearly 98 per cent of fishermen in West Bengal have been issued biometric identity cards, these have to be physically checked by Coast Guard personnel. "Though biometric card readers have been issued to us, it takes a lot of time to stop a boat, launch a small craft from a Coast Guard vessel and check the identity cards. By the time we finish with one boat, others move away. There are around 9,000 fishing boats in Bengal, of which 5,500 are mechanized. A plan is being worked out to issue transponders to fishing boats," said Inspector General (IG) VSR Murthy, Commandant, Coast Guard (Region North East). Read less...