Mohammad Shad Radi, a Bangladeshi national and key member of the banned terrorist group Ansar-al-Islam, also known as Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), managed to get himself listed as a voter in Murshidabad district.
Radi was arrested during a major crackdown by the Assam Special Task Force (STF) and other law enforcement agencies in Bengal and Kerala three days ago.
According to a police officer, Radi's name appeared in the voter list for the Kandi and Hariharpara constituencies in Murshidabad. He managed to obtain two voter ID cards by using forged identity documents. "We are still investigating when Radi registered himself as an Indian voter and whether he participated in any recent elections in Bengal using these voter cards," the officer said.
The Assam STF shared this information with their counterparts in West Bengal. It was found that Radi, who is from Jessore, Bangladesh, got his name on the voter list with the help of Abbas Ali and Minarul Sheikh, who were arrested in Murshidabad. The police believe Abbas and Minarul assisted Radi while he was in the district.
Before heading to Kerala in November, Radi had been staying in Murshidabad. "We suspect Abbas and Minarul helped him with logistics during his stay there," an officer stated.
Radi and other ABT operatives held several meetings in Murshidabad and Jalpaiguri, aiming to recruit people for the group's sleeper cell in India.
Radi was reportedly in contact with the group's leader Jasimuddin Rehmani and second-in-command Farhan Ishraq. He traveled across India, including Bengal, to recruit operatives for the ABT sleeper cells.
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