Terror accused planned radical camp in guise of Madrasa: NIA

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has found that one of the nine arrested Al-Qaeda cadres had plans to run a radical camp in the guise of Madrasa, which has come under its scanner, in line of the terror module at Simulia Madrasa ran by Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh in Burdwan in West Bengal that had come to light six years ago after the Burdwan blast.

NIA sources revealed that Al Mamun Kamal, the accused, told the investigators that he had raised funds for the purpose and even opened a Madrasa privately at his village: Paschim Nawdapara at Domkol in Murshidabad where he wanted to run a camp to radicalize young minds. He alongwith others had also started building a mosque nearby.

To raise funds Kamal, facing the NIA's interrogation now, targeted hundreds of migrant workers, who had travelled to Ernakulam in Kerala, with the help of another arrested accused: Murshid Hasan, according to sources. The amount of donation ranged in between Rs 5 and 10.

After collecting funds from the migrant workers, Kamal used to send them the subscription bills to Ernakulam and other parts of Kerala, confirmed his neighbour: Shahjahan Mondal. He said, "Kamal is the brain behind the  Madrasa. But due to Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown his fund raising spree stopped and the madrasa was closed."

Meanwhile a mosque at Jalangi in the district has come under the NIA's scanner after many among the accused were found to have held their meetings there after their prayers, sources revealed. Interrogating the six, the NIA learnt that Murshid from Ernakulam and another accused: Leu Yean Ahmed from Domkal were the coordinators of their meetings on the social media.