The West Bengal Police recovered several coded and encrypted messages from the mobile phones of Aazmal Hossain and Saheb Ali Khan, the two Indian associates of Bangladesh-based Islamic fundamentalist group Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) who were arrested on Friday from Nalhati in Birbhum district, which hint at their links with other fundamentalist groups.
Sources said that some of these coded messages had references of groups like Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HUT), and Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), all being identified as fundamentalist groups with the last two entities being very active in the recent past to open sleeper cells in the Indo-Bangladesh bordering and minority dominated districts in West Bengal like Murshidabad and Malda.
While Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind has its roots in Jammu and Kashmir the main bases of the other two are in Bangladesh, with a focus on spreading their network in bordering districts of West Bengal.
State police sources said that the investigating officials are currently trying to crack all the coded messages on their mobile phones to get a clearer picture of their exact links with different fundamentalist groups.
At the same time, marathon interrogations of Hossain and Khan are on, with both being remanded to 14 days of police custody by a district court in Birbhum district on Friday.
At the same time, the investigating officials have tracked details of some suspicious online transactions.
Already, in the face of interrogation, said sources, Hossain admitted of his failed attempts to go to Bangladesh in the recent past amid increased border surveillance by different central and state security-cum-Intelligence agencies amid the ongoing political crisis in Bangladesh.
Recently, the Union Home Ministry received information from Intelligence agencies about the alleged role of illegal Bangladeshi intruders behind the violence and vandalism at the minority-dominated Murshidabad district over violent protests against the newly-promulgated Waqf (Amendment) Act.
The names of JMB, HUT and ABT surfaced in that Intelligence input.
However, considering the geographical locations of the pockets where the tension and violence had been maximum this time, especially Samserganj, the possibility of ABT playing some role in the latest violence sounded more logical.
On the eastern side of the International Borders at Samserganj and Dhulian, is the Bangladeshi district of Chapai-Nawabganj, which is considered the stronghold of ABT.
Sources added that because of this geographical proximity, the chances of ABT's involvement in the latest developments at Murshidabad are most likely.
India hit 8 military bases in Pakistan, including Sialkot station: Centre
India responded strongly to Pakistan’s repeated drone and missile attacks and hit at least eight military targets inside Pakistan on Friday night with precision, thereby causing significant damage, the Centre told the Press, as part of a special briefing on 'Operation Sindoor'.
Pak troops moving into forward areas, Indian forces in high state of operational readiness: Govt
India on Saturday said that Pakistan was escalating tensions along the Western border by moving troops into forward areas, suggesting an offensive intent to intensify hostilities.
Pak fired high-speed missile, tried to hit health facilities, schools but was thwarted: Centre slams escalation bid
The Centre, in a special briefing on 'Operation Sindoor' on Saturday, called out Pakistan’s brazen attempt to escalate the matter by repeatedly targeting India’s military as well as civilian centres and also slammed the state-sponsored propaganda machinery for spewing canards.
Marco Rubio reaches out to real centre of Pakistan power, talks to army chief
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has finally reached out to the real centre of Pakistan's power, Army Chief Asim Munir, after talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to de-escalate tensions with India failed.
Responded in measured fashion to continued Pakistani provocations: India
Addressing the press conference on 'Operation Sindoor', Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, along with Indian Army Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Indian Air Force Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, briefed the nation about the current situation along the India-Pakistan border.
Multiple enemy-armed drones in Amritsar destroyed: Indian Army
Multiple enemy-armed drones were spotted flying over Khasa Cantonment in Amritsar in Punjab and they were instantly engaged and destroyed by air defence units, the Indian Army said on Saturday.
Indian armed forces destroy Pakistani posts, launch pads; intercept multiple Pakistani drones
In yet another befitting reply to Pakistan's nefarious activities, the Border Security Force (BSF) has completely destroyed a Pakistani post and a terrorist launch pad in Looni, District Sialkot, opposite Akhnoor area, from where the tube drones were being launched to attack India.
32 airports shut till May 15 as tensions escalate between India-Pakistan
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) and relevant aviation authorities have issued a series of Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs), announcing the temporary closure of 32 airports across northern and western India for all civil flight operations, effective till May 14.