The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested 13 people after conducting searches at 16 locations across Assam, West Bengal and Kerala in a case involving an alleged network associated with the banned Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).
The agency has accused the arrested people of helping an offshoot of JMB expand its network, recruit young people and spread extremist ideology in West Bengal and the northeastern states.
The operation is part of a case that began with arrests made by the Assam Police in December 2025. The NIA later took over the investigation and filed a chargesheet against 11 accused in June 2026. The agency had alleged that the group was working to spread JMB’s ideology through radicalisation, recruitment, religious indoctrination and digital platforms.
The arrests were made during coordinated searches at 16 locations. Eight people were arrested in Assam, four in West Bengal and one in Kerala, according to reports. Mobile phones, pen drives, memory cards and other digital devices were seized during the searches.
What NIA found in the probe
The investigation is looking into Imam Mahmuder Kafila (IMK), which the NIA describes as an offshoot or manifestation of the JMB. The agency has alleged that the group was created to spread JMB’s ideology in India and build a network in West Bengal and the northeastern states.
According to the NIA, members of the network were trying to radicalise young people and bring new recruits into the organisation. Investigators also claimed to have found the use of digital platforms for spreading extremist material and propaganda. The agency has alleged that the accused were working to strengthen the network’s links with the leadership of the IMK and the JMB.
Investigators claimed they have also found evidence of alleged meetings held away from public view and religious and ideological programmes being used to influence potential recruits. The agency has alleged that such activities were part of efforts to build support for the group’s ideology.
The NIA had earlier said its investigation found an alleged conspiracy to expand the JMB network across West Bengal, Assam, Tripura and other northeastern states. Its June chargesheet against 11 accused was filed before the NIA Special Court in Guwahati.
Case began with 2025 arrests
The case goes back to December 2025, when the Assam Police’s Special Task Force arrested 11 people from the state and Tripura in an operation against an alleged IMK module. The arrests followed an investigation into the group’s alleged activities involving radicalisation and recruitment.
The investigation also examined online platforms used to reach potential recruits. Reports suggest that social media and encrypted communication platforms were ellegedly being used to spread extremist material and contact young people.
The NIA subsequently took over the case. In June, it filed a chargesheet against 11 accused, alleging that they were part of a conspiracy to spread the JMB’s ideology and expand its network in eastern and northeastern India.
10 accused still absconding
The NIA crackdown has not ended the investigation. At least 10 accused are still allegedly absconding, including nine Bangladeshi nationals and one Indian citizen. The agency is making efforts to trace them.
The investigation has also tracked the alleged network’s activities across several states.
The Union government had declared the JMB and its manifestations unlawful under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in 2019.
