PATNA: The State Police Headquarters has issued a high-alert across Bihar following specific intelligence inputs that three suspected operatives of the banned terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed have infiltrated the state through the Nepal border and may be planning to disrupt the upcoming assembly elections.
The identified individuals are Hasnain Ali (from Rawalpindi, Pakistan), Adil Hussain (Umarkot, Pakistan), and Mohammad Usman (Bahawalpur, Pakistan). Intelligence reports indicate that the trio arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal, in the second week of August and successfully crossed into the Indian territory in Bihar during the third week. Authorities believe they were aided by a local Nepali resident.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Purnea, Pramod Kumar Mandal said that the SPs of Purnea, Katihar, Araria and Kishanganj, which share borders with Nepal and also with Bangladesh, have been asked to maintain maximum alert. He added that such intelligence inputs come from different agencies as elections are to be held in the state later this year.
The alert gains further urgency following a recent arrest in the region. On September 5, Nazre Saddam, a resident of Barahpur in Bhagalpur district, was arrested in Motihari, East Champaran, for his involvement in circulating high-quality Indian counterfeit currency. This has raised concerns that the terror module may be seeking to finance its operations.
“We have launched an intensive search operation against the suspected Jaish-e-Mohammed operatives. All precautionary measures are being taken to ensure security in the region, especially with the elections approaching,” stated a senior police officer.
This incident is not an isolated one for Bihar, which has emerged as a transit point for terrorist activities in recent years. In 2020, Ezaz Yusuf Lakdawala, a key aide of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, was arrested in Patna. Furthermore, in 2019, Ezaz Ahmad alias Amir, an operative linked to the Bangladesh-based Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen (JMB), was apprehended in Gaya. Amir was a prime suspect in the 2014 Burdwan blast and was also connected to a low-intensity explosion at Bodh Gaya in 2018.
Adding to the pattern, on March 19 of this year, two JMB members from Bangladesh, Khairul Mandal and Abu Sultan, were arrested near Patna Junction, with Islamic State (IS) propaganda materials recovered from their possession.
The police have urged the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity immediately, assuring that all efforts are underway to neutralize the threat and ensure peaceful elections
