The Indian law enforcement authorities made a major breakthrough on July 1 this year after they apprehended the murderer of Hindu blogger Ananta Vijay Das.
Identified as Faisal Ahmed, he has been on the run from the law enforcement authorities since 2015. Following his arrest from the Bommanhalli area in Bengaluru, he was taken to Kolkata on July 3.
The arrest was made by the Kolkata police, which also obtained information about his radical activities in the country. Faisal will now be handed over to the Bangladesh police.
While speaking about the development, Bangladesh Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU) DIG Moniruzzaman conceded that the authorities had information that Faisal was residing illegally in India.
He stated that the Indian law enforcement authorities were apprised about the matter and necessary documents were provided to confirm his identity, prior to Faisal’s arrest.
Faisal had access to Indian documents, and was staying in India for the past 7 years
Reportedly, the Bangladeshi authorities provided Faisal’s mobile number to the Kolkata police. Using call records, it was found that he was staying in Bengaluru.
Once a medical student, Faisal was at the forefront of spreading jihadist ideology under the pretext of teaching in madrassas. He has also been involved with Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), affiliated with Islamist terror outfit Al-Qaeda.
During interrogation, it came to light that he was at the helm of organising the Al-Qaeda module in the Barak Valley of Assam. He admitted to fleeing to Silchar from Bangladesh in 2015 and making a fake voter ID card by the name of Shahid Majumdar.
He also acquired a passport, where his house address has been traced to Mizoram. Faisal was also successful in procuring a driver’s licence from Bengaluru. The terrorist however cried foul and denied any involvement in the murder of Hindu blogger Ananta Vijay Das.
According to the Special Superintendent of Anti-Terrorism Unit Aslam Khan, Faisal Ahmed will be extradited to Bangladesh on completion of necessary procedures.
The Background of the Case
Faisal Khan is one of the accused in the brutal murder of Hindu blogger Ananta Vijay Das in Subidbazar in the Sylhet district of Bangladesh. A vocal critic of religious fanaticism, Das had received several death threats from Islamic extremists.
He was a banker and the Council for Science and Rationalism of Bangladesh’s general secretary. He was an editor of a magazine named ‘Jukti (Logic)’. On the fateful day of May 12, 2015, the ‘Mukto-Mona (free thinkers)’ blogger was chased down by Islamists and slaughtered with machetes.
He was immediately rushed to the hospital but was declared dead on arrival. In March this year, a Bangladeshi court sentenced 4 people to death for the killing of Ananta Vijay Das. They included Abul Khayer Rashid Ahmed (25), Abul Hossain (25), Mamunur Rashid (25) and Faysal Ahmed (27).
Two of the accused are still at large. While delivering the verdict, Justice Nurul Amin Biplob remarked, “If these accused are not given exemplary punishment, people of other terrorists, extremist ideologies will be encouraged to commit such killings”.
He further added, “The main purpose (of the killing) was to spread fear and apprehension among writers who wrote or spoke about liberalism, progressivism, science and prejudice prevalent in the society through the brutality and horror of the killing.”
