'Aiding Terror Group': 5 'Bangladeshis' charged in India

India's top counter-terror body National Investigation Agency (NIA) has pressed charges against five alleged Bangladeshis on charges of aiding terror outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT).

The charge sheet was filed with the NIA court in Mumbai on Friday against Mohammed Habibur Rahman Habib alias Raj Jesub Mandal, Ripon Hossain alias Rubel, Hannan Anwar Khan alias Hannan Baburli Gazi, Md Hassanali alias Md Amirali and Azarali Subhanalla Islam alias Raja Jesub Mandal, said a statement posted on the NIA website.

The charge sheet against the “Bangladeshi nationals” has been filed under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document) of the Indian Penal Code, relevant sections of strict Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act of 1967 and section 14 of the Foreigners Act of 1946.

All the five alleged Bangladeshis were arrested by the Anti-Terrorism Squad of western Indian city of Pune in Maharashtra state on charges of aiding and harbouring members of ABT in Pune.

The NIA said its investigation revealed that the five were staying in India without valid documents and were working as workers at various construction sites in Pune.

They had fraudulently obtained Indian Permanent Account Number (PAN) Cards needed for filing income tax returns and opening bank accounts, multipurpose identity Aadhaar cards, election cards and ration cards in fictitious names by providing fake or forged documents, the NIA statement read.

The five “Bangladeshis” used the said Aadhaar and PAN cards to obtain Indian SIM cards, open bank accounts and seek employment in India.

The NIA said its probe also brought out that the arrestees in 2017 provided shelter and money to one Tushar Bishwas alias Tanvir, a member of the Ansarullah Bangla Team, against whom a charge-sheet under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act of 1967 was earlier filed by the NIA.

Ansarullah Bangla Team has been banned in Bangladesh following which it has been operating by the name of Ansar Al Islam.