Police arrest woman for links with proscribed outfit Ansarul Islam

Dhubri, Assam, Aug 08: A woman has been arrested in Assam's Dhubri district for her alleged links with Bangladeshi proscribed outfit Ansarul Islam, the police said.

Jahura Khatun, whose husband Abu Tallah is also wanted for his alleged connection with the outfit, was apprehended from Naeralga Part II village on Sunday, Bilasipara Sub-divisional Police Officer Birinchi Bora told reporters.

She had been "trying to protect people having association with Ansarul Islam", Mr Bora stated, according to news agency PTI.

"Two mobile phones were seized from her possession, one of which was burnt. We are trying to retrieve data from the burnt phone. As of now, we have gathered enough evidence from her interrogation and the other phone to establish the fact that she was in touch with the members of the outfit," Mr Bora said.

Ms Khatun was on Sunday produced before a judicial magistrate's court, which remanded her to judicial custody. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma recently said that Assam has become a hotbed of "jihadi activities" after five modules having links with the Bangladesh-based terror outfit were busted in the past five months.

The first module was busted in March with the arrest of five persons in Barpeta. Since then, over 30 people have been caught, with 11 in the months of March and April.
Two persons, including an Imam running a Madrasa, were held in Morigaon in July. The madrasa was subsequently demolished.