Guwahati: The special task force (STF) of Assam Police, in a joint operation with Hailakandi district police, arrested a 21-year-old man allegedly linked to the Pakistan-based Shahzad Bhatti Network from Ramnathpur in Hailakandi district on Wednesday, police said.“The accused has been identified as Fazal Islam Barbhuiyan. He was arrested based on leads developed during the investigation into the earlier arrests. Further investigation is underway,” an STF officer said.Police said the arrest took the number of persons allegedly linked to the network arrested in Assam to four. About a month ago, three alleged operatives were arrested in coordinated operations in Chirang, Barpeta and Dhubri districts.The three were identified as Akramul Islam, Aminur Rahman and Abdul Hussain in reports on the earlier arrests.“During the initial investigation, we arrested three accused — Akramul Islam, Aminur Rahman and Abdul Hussain. The trio was allegedly involved in activities linked to the Pakistan-based network, including recruitment and other operations. Investigators also recovered mobile phones, SIM cards, Aadhaar cards, bank passbooks and other documents during the earlier operation,” the officer added.Police officers also alleged that the network operated in association with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and had links with other organisations, including the Khalistan Armed Force, the Punjab Sovereignty Alliance and Tehrik-e-Taliban Hindustan.Police claimed that the investigation had uncovered evidence of directives and funding originating from Pakistan. They also alleged that the network was linked to attacks in different parts of the country.The network’s activities in Assam first came to light during an investigation in Nalbari in May, when an alleged operative was arrested.
