Ahmedabad: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday conducted searches at 10 locations across five states in an Al‑Qaida Gujarat terror conspiracy case involving illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, an official statement said.

NIA teams carried out searches at premises linked to various suspects and their associates in West Bengal, Tripura, Meghalaya, Haryana, and Gujarat. Several digital devices and incriminating documents were seized during the searches and are being sent for forensic analysis.

The case was originally registered by the NIA in June 2023 under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Indian Penal Code, and the Foreigners Act.

Investigations so far have revealed that four Bangladeshi nationals, Mohd. Sojibmiyan, Munna Khalid Ansari alias Munna Khan, Azarul Islam alias Jahangir alias Aakash Khan, and Abdul Latif alias Mominul Ansari, illegally infiltrated India from Bangladesh using forged Indian identity documents. They were found to be connected with the proscribed Al‑Qaida terrorist organisation.

The men were involved in the collection and transfer of funds to Al‑Qaida operatives in Bangladesh and were also found to be actively radicalising Muslim youth.

On 10th November 2023, the NIA filed a chargesheet against five accused persons before the NIA Special Court in Ahmedabad. Investigations in the case are ongoing as part of the NIA’s efforts to uncover the terror network’s presence, linkages, and financial channels operating within India and across the border. DeshGujarat