JMB changed modus operandi, was open to tees and T-shirts as attire

KOLKATA: Special Task Force sleuths questioning JMB-Bangla unit chief Anwar Hussain Farukh alias Inam say the new look JMB – who are identified as neo-JMB – had decided to completely overhaul its operations in Bengal. While not completely giving up its tradition of arms training imparted through unrecognized Madrasahs of Birbhum and Burdwan, the organization wanted to spread social tension close to Kolkata – and North 24 Parganas with a border with Bangladesh became the first choice.
It did not go unnoticed that the state has merely around 597 recognized Madrasahs and over 400 NGOs run by the minority communities, several of whom have a presence in Kolkata’s neighbouring district.“The idea was to try and make Basirhat-Bagda sector a hub of activities for the JMB in Bengal and join its new found Cachar base in Assam. It is not without reason that the JMB had shifted its fake currency operations from Malda-Murshidabad to Assam. There was heightened lookout in the Bengal borders but entering Bengal from Assam was comparatively much easier. Similarly, all fundings that were received from sympathizers in Malda, Howrah and the Nadial area were re-routed through ground agents based in Bagda, Siliguri and Guwahati,” claimed a STF source.
Sources said both Inam and Maulana Yousuf – the second in command in Bengal – took extreme care not to be identified as a “sympathizer.” Gone were the kurtas and long beards. Yousuf took to T-shirts and jeans and kept visiting India oft and on. Orders for moving any consignment were issued one month in advance and extreme care was taken to see that the communication for the same was kept at a minimum. Cops believe at least two top leaders of neo JMB Bangladesh – Shariful Islam Khaled and Mamunur Rashid Ripon were in India to assist the group, a claim made by RAB – the elite Bangladesh anti-terror agency – earlier.
On Tuesday, the STF officially kept mum but did say that Inam’s laptop might throw up interesting leads. “We do have several statements and six teams are working to ascertain their claims. Joint CP (STF) Vishal Garg said they were in touch with the Bangladeshi authorities to verify certain leads. Meanwhile, a manual recovered from JMB men have shown how these men were instructed to avoid detection. The manual reads six instructions on hiding. Interestingly, the militants have been directed to select rooms on ground floors so that they could easily flee or put up good defence in a fight.
The manual instructs them to get ready for frequent arrival of the militants from outside for training and if some militants frequently visit a den for training, the manual instructs that the shelter could be made known to general public as a coaching centre. Meanwhile, Yousuf, while questioning has revealed how JMB cadres were asked to undergo training from other militant organizations for “honing of skills.” According to STF, several of the 25 arrested JMB men had undergone training at both the Mukimnagar Madrasah in Murshidabad and Simulia Madrasah in Burdwan district at least on two different occasions between 2009 and 2011 before getting another round of training – allegedly the NSCN-K in Myanmar.