Engineering student arrested for ‘IS links’ in Durgapur, Bengal

According to NIA sources, Ahmed was not only in touch with various members of the group — 20 of them are already in NIA custody — but was also planning to kill a Trinamool Congress MLA who is suspected to be involved in the murder of a Muslim political rival.

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Sources said Ahmed came in contact with Mohammed Nafees Khan, finance chief of JKH, while surfing jihadi videos over the internet. Khan, who is currently under arrest, reportedly met Ahmed in Kolkata and got him appointed as the chief of JKH’s Bengal unit.

“Ahmed took Khan around Kolkata to identify vital installations that could be targeted by JKH. Ahmed also expressed his intention to target a TMC MLA for the murder of a Muslim political rival. However, all these plans were still at a nascent stage,” said an NIA officer.

NIA sources said Ahmed, the son of a farmer, was good in studies. The lure of IS pulled him into jihadi chat forums over the internet in the past one year, said sources.

This is how he met Khan and several other members.

“On instructions from Khan, Ahmed also got in touch with five youths in West Bengal and was motivating them to join jihadi activity,” said an NIA officer.

Meanwhile, the Home Ministry has handed over the cases of suspected IS operatives in custody of Delhi Police and Maharashtra ATS to the NIA. Since all the accused were part of the same group, a decision was taken to hand over the cases to NIA, which has registered an “open FIR” against the IS.

“The agency will soon take custody of the accused with the two police forces,” said an MHA official.