How this chemical engineer turned JMB terrorist set up modules from Bengal to Kerala

New Delhi, Aug 29: The arrest of Ejaz Ahmed alias Taufique Raza, the emir of the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, Bangladesh was a major breakthrough for the security forces.

Ahmed, a chemical engineer has been closely associated with the JMB since 2008. He was part of the team that was formed in 2008 to set up modules in West Bengal. The brief was to set up modules in Birbhum, Burdwan, Murshidabad and Nadia.

Sources tell OneIndia that this team was successful in setting up the modules in the above-mentioned places. They even went on to set up strong bases at Khagraghar and Mukimnagar.

Further, the team also targeted persons outside Bengal and even set up modules in Bihar, Karnataka, Kerala. He had mainly targeted migrant labour in these places and roped several of them into the module, officials part of the investigation also said.

While Ahmed had gone underground for a long time, he returned to the mainstream after a host of operatives of the JMB were arrested. The biggest setback for the JMB was the arrest of Jahidul Islam, who was heading the JMB until then.

In addition to this, the police also arrested 15 more persons from the JMB, who were top operatives. Ahmed was tasked with re-grouping the modules.

However based on concrete intelligence, Ahmed was arrested at Gaya and from his possession, the police have seized a satellite phone, laptop, circuit boards and some documents with Jihadi material.

Ejaz was living at Pathantoli village, following his return from Bangladesh. The police say that he is a top operative of the JMB and had recruited several persons into the outfit. He was looking to recruit more persons and was trying to bring them into West Bengal through the Indo-Bangladesh border.

Following a tip-off by the Intelligence Bureau, a joint team of the Bihar Police and West Bengal Special Task Force (STF) nabbed him. Joint commissioner of police, Subhankar Sinha Sarkar informed that he has been booked under Sections 120B (Criminal Conspiracy) and 130 (aiding escape of, rescuing or harbouring a prisoner). Charges under the Explosive Substances Act have also been slapped.

Ejaz who is in his early 30s is alleged to have played a major role in manning the camps of the JMB along the Indo-Bangladesh border. The JMB has set up several camps in West Bengal and Bihar over the years. The outfit has been accused of carrying out several acts of terror that include the ones at Burdwan and Bodh Gaya.

Recently, IB reports had stated that the JMB had tied up with the Islamic State in India. This module is focusing on the areas of Bengal and Bihar. Some of its operatives had even carried out a reconnaissance of the Dal Lake in Jammu and Kashmir. They had planned on carrying out a knife attack on tourists.