Guwahati, Feb 4: Assam’s Special Task Force (STF) arrested another Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) operative in the early hours of Tuesday in Kokrajhar, bringing the total number of arrests in the case to 12.

Acting on intelligence inputs, the STF, with assistance from Kokrajhar police under Operation Praghat, apprehended one Nasim Uddin SK, a key operative suspected of involvement in extremist activities.

The accused was presented before the court and has been remanded to seven days in police custody for further interrogation.

According to an STF statement issued on Tuesday, Nasim Uddin is not only an ABT member but also an active operative of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen (JAM).

He is a close associate of Nur Islam Mandal, the prime accused in the case, who was previously arrested in Kokrajhar for his role in extremist activities.

Authorities revealed that Nasim Uddin had been evading arrest since December 17, 2024, before being captured on Tuesday.

“Till now, over a dozen suspects have been nabbed in connection with the case, and our operations will continue,” Guwahati Police Commissioner and STF Chief, Partha Sarathi Mahanta told The Assam Tribune.

Investigations have further revealed that Nasim Uddin played a crucial role in procuring weapons and producing improvised explosive devices (IEDs) alongside Mandal.

Their activities were allegedly aimed at undermining national security, disturbing peace, and endangering the country's sovereignty.

This arrest follows the December 30 operation in which Gazi Rahman, a 35-year-old operative affiliated with Al-Qaeda in Bangladesh, was apprehended in Kokrajhar.

Rahman, believed to be the mastermind behind anti-national operations, was captured in a special joint operation by Assam STF and Kokrajhar Police on December 29.