Two suspected members of terror outfit held in Bengal

Kolkata: The special task force (STF) unit of the West Bengal Police on Wednesday night arrested two suspected members of the Al Qaeda in the Indian-Subcontinent (AQIS) from North 24 Parganas district, a senior officer said.

Acting on a tip-off, officers of the STF unit conducted a raid on Wednesday night at Kharibari in Shasan Police Station area of North 24 Parganas and arrested the duo for their alleged involvement with the terror outfit, he said.

One of them has been identified as a resident of Gangarampur in Dakshin Dinajpur district, while the other hailed from Arambagh in Hooghly district, the senior police officer said, adding that several documents were seized from their possession during the raid.

“Both have been arrested because of their involvement with AQIS. Documents containing highly radicalised thoughts, indicative of waging war against India, have been seized from their possession. A specific case is being initiated against them,” he told PTI.

After interrogating the two, the police have come to know that at least 17 other members of the AQIS are active in this region, the officer said.

The arrested duo will be produced before a local court on Thursday, the officer added.