India: Suspected Pakistan-trained terrorist with Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen links arrested in Bengal

A suspected terrorist was apprehended in South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, on Sunday (December 22) during a joint operation by the Jammu and Kashmir Police and West Bengal’s Special Task Force (STF).

The man, identified as Javed Munshi, is believed to be a senior member of the banned terrorist organisation Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen (TuM). According to sources cited by India Today TV, Munshi had undergone training in Pakistan.

“A 58-year-old man identified as Javed Ahmed Mushi was arrested from a house at Canning in South 24 Parganas on Sunday. He is a resident of Srinagar and is suspected of having close links with the TuM,” a senior IPS officer from West Bengal told Hindustan Times.

Following his arrest, a Kolkata court granted the Jammu and Kashmir Police transit remand for Munshi until 31 December. He is set to be transported to Srinagar, where he will be presented in court.

As per media reports, Munshi, originally from Srinagar, had been hiding at a relative’s house in Canning after arriving in the area a few days prior. “Based on specific intelligence from Kashmir Police, we acted swiftly to arrest him,” an STF official was cited saying by India Today.

Reports suggest that Munshi had plans to cross into Bangladesh under instructions from operatives of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). “He has been linked to several terror-related activities, including the 2011 killing of Shauqat Shah, a leader of the Ahl-i-Hadith, and has previously served prison terms under terrorism-related charges,” an STF source told India Today.

Munshi’s arrest comes a day after the STF teams from Assam and West Bengal detained two suspected members of the banned militant group Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) in Murshidabad.

Preliminary investigations indicate that Munshi had previously travelled to Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan using counterfeit Pakistani passports.

(With inputs from agencies)