ISIS India head, his associate held in Assam's Dhubri

Guwahati (Assam): In a breakthrough, the Special Task Force (STF) of Assam police apprehended two top-rung leaders of ISIS in Assam's Dhubri district, officials said on Wednesday.

According to officials, the apprehended top ISIS leaders were identified as Haris Farooqi alias Harish Ajmal Farukhi, who is the head of ISIS in India, and his associate Anurag Singh alias Rehan.

The special operation was carried out by the STF team led by Parthasarathi Mahanta, IGP (STF) and Kalyan Kumar Pathak, Additional Superintendent of Police (STF).

Partha Sarathi Mahanta told ANI that, information was received from sister agencies that two top-rung leaders of ISIS in India who were camping in a neighbouring country would cross over to India at the Dhubri Sector to carry out sabotage activities.

"Based on the input, an STF team was deputed to locate and apprehend the said accused persons, who are also wanted by NIA.

The team proceeded to Dhubri in the evening hours of March 19. Thereafter, since the input was credible, a manhunt was launched in the International border area to nab the culprits.

At around 4:15 am on March 20, the accused persons were detected in Dharmasala area of Dhubri after they had crossed the international border.

Both of them were apprehended and brought to the STF office at Guwahati," IG (STF) Mahanta said.

IG Mahanta further said that the identity of both of them was ascertained.

"Both of them are highly indoctrinated and motivated leaders/members of ISIS in India. They had furthered the cause of ISIS in India through conspiracies to carry out recruitment, terror funding and terror acts by means of IEDs at several places across India. Several cases are pending against them at NIA, Delhi, ATS, Lucknow etc. STF, Assam will hand over the accused to NIA for taking up further legal actions against these fugitives," Partha Sarathi Mahanta said.

(ANI)