Guwahati: Senior officials of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) have begun interrogating 11 suspected terrorists arrested by the Assam Police Special Task Force (STF). The arrests followed a coordinated crackdown across Assam and Tripura.
Police sources said NIA officers arrived in Guwahati on Monday. Since then, they have been questioning the accused.
The STF carried out the arrests during simultaneous raids under Operation Praghat on December 29, 2025.
Sources said the interrogation will not remain limited to the NIA. Investigation agencies from other states are also expected to question the accused.
Officials said teams from Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh may arrive in the coming days. This points to possible inter-state links.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Nasim Uddin alias Najimuddin alias Tamim (24), Junab Ali (38), Afrahim Hussain (24), Mizanur Rehman (46), Sultan Mehmud (40), Md Siddique Ali (46), Rasidul Aalam (28), Mahibul Khan (25), Sharuk Hussain (22), Md Dilbar Razak (26), and Jagir Miah (33).
Police arrested ten of them from different locations in Assam and arrested Jagir Miah from Tripura.
Meanwhile, the arrests have exposed what police describe as a well-organised extremist network operating across the Northeast.
Earlier, STF chief Partha Sarathi Mahanta briefed the media in Guwahati on December 30. He spoke at the Jyoti–Bishnu Kala Mandir in Khanapara.
Mahanta said the network operated both online and offline. He added that it had strong transnational connections.
According to him, extremist groups linked to the banned Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and Imam Mahmuder Kafila (IMK) were active in the region.
He said these groups used encrypted digital platforms to indoctrinate sympathisers.
“The IMK module surfaced during intelligence analysis. It is a Bangladesh-based offshoot of the JMB,” Mahanta said.
He added that Indian security agencies have been closely monitoring extremist activities in Assam and the wider Northeast.
Mahanta also flagged a shift in recruitment tactics. He said groups now rely heavily on what investigators call “digital jihad.”
The Assam Police said the first phase of Operation Praghat has concluded. However, more phases will follow.
Investigators are continuing to track other operatives. They are also probing funding channels and possible sleeper cells. Central agencies have now intensified the investigation.