Guwahati: India has uncovered fresh cross-border terror links on Wednesday with the arrest of a Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) operative in Assam, escalating security concerns and putting Bangladesh under renewed scrutiny over its handling of banned extremist groups.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at a press conference in the capital Dispur confirmed that Ali Hussain Bepari, an Indian national from Dhubri, was arrested for sharing contact numbers of Assam residents with Bangladesh-based JMB handlers.
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“Ali Hussain Bepari had previously been arrested for JMB-related illegal activities. Evidence currently shows he acted as a conduit for the terror outfit,” CM Sarma said.
The arrest, security officials warn, is not an isolated case but part of a wider cross-border terror footprint.
In July, another JMB operative from Dhubri, Abu Salam Ali, was captured in Chennai during Operation Praghat. Both hail from the same locality, pointing to Dhubri emerging as a key node in JMB’s India strategy.
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Sarma had earlier sounded alarm over attempts by Bangladesh-based fundamentalist groups to stoke pro-Bangladesh sentiment near India’s strategic Siliguri Corridor.
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Threat messages linked to Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) and wall slogans urging allegiance to Bangladesh have since reinforced those fears.
The revelations come against the backdrop of Assam Police’s Operation Ghost SIM, which dismantled a Pakistan-linked fake SIM racket used to send OTPs abroad. “The fake SIM racket had deep roots in the state ( Assam), and the use of these SIM cards to send OTPs to Pakistan is a clear indication of the severity of the situation,” Assam DGP Harmeet Singh warned.
Analysts say the latest developments will intensify diplomatic pressure on Dhaka. India is expected to demand stronger guarantees from Bangladesh that JMB and JeI networks will not be allowed to regroup and push propaganda across the border.
“It is no longer just a state-level security issue; it is a cross-border terror challenge with international implications,” a senior Indian security official told Northeast Now . “How Dhaka responds will determine the strength of counterterror cooperation going forward.”