The Special Task Force (STF) of the West Bengal Police conducted raids at Nalhati and Murarai in Birbhum district and arrested two persons — Ajmol Hossain (28) of Nalhati and Saheb Ali Khan (28) — in the intervening night of May 8 and 9, officers said on Friday.

“The two were propagating the ideology of Jamatul Mujahideen Bangladesh or JMB, a banned terror organisation,” claimed an official.

The two were produced in the court of the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) in Rampurhat, Birbhum, on Friday and remanded in 14 days of police custody.

According to the police, the arrested persons are allegedly part of a module that is engaged in “dissemination of seditious material” by using “sophisticated” methods. They are also accused of planning to “target certain persons and places, which could harm the sovereignty and integrity of India”, police said.

“They were engaged in recruiting and urging youths to join terror organisations and radicalising them with a view to wage war against the Government of India,” said a police officer.

According to the police, Hossain earlier tried to enter Bangladesh in connection with “illegal activities”.
“The two, along with other associates, tried to procure firearms and planned to prepare explosives,” said an officer with the STF.