ATS of the Gujarat Police has sought information from the East Burdwan Police about a pair of youths booked on the suspicion of their association with terror outfit Al-Qaeda.

The two East Burdwan youths were booked by the ATS in Gujarat on charges of their purported links with Al-Qaeda even as their families claimed: “Never had shown any extreme hatred while they visited families. They were sincerely religious and well behaved.”

But, both Abdul Shukur Sheikh and Saif Nawaz, as their families stated, “Were fond of playing war games in their mobile phones.”

The ATS has sought further details from the East Burdwan Police yesterday. The intelligence officers visited Shukur, Saif and their colleague Aman Mallik – all in their 20s – were picked up by the ATS (Anti Terrorism Squad) of Gujarat police from Sonibazar area in Rajkot on Monday.

A local court ordered 14-day ATS custody for the accused on Tuesday. Shukur and Saif hailed from the Nadanghat PS and Kslna areas in East Burdwan and Aman from Tarakeswar in neighbouring Hooghly district and they had left Bengal to serve as jewelry artisans. A country-made semi-automatic pistol and 10 rounds of ammunitions were seized from their possession, the ATS told to East Burdwan police.

At Ghola in Nadanghat, Shukur’s family seemed to be panicked today after the officials quizzed the elderly parents for hours. The parents told them that Shukur had left home during the Kali pujas for Rajkot. Saif’s parents residing at Angarson village in Kalna PS area and their neighbours claimed today: “Saif is a simple boy and we suspect he’s booked on framed charges.”

The SP, ATS, O P Jat of Gujarat police, meanwhile, claimed for more than a year Aman Malik of Tarkeswar was in touch with Abu Talha and Fursan Sheikh – two foreign handlers of Al-Qaeda through social network Apps like Telegram and Conversation.

Talha is believed to be based in Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, Al-Qaeda feeds a pair of local outfits – Jamat-ul-Muhahideen Bangladesh and Ansarullah Bangla Team. On 22 May, 2023, four Bangladesh nationals were incidentally arrested from Ahmedabad by the ATS for their links with both JMB and Al-Qaeda.

The SP, ATS also told newspersons: “Aman later got in touch with his acquaintances Shukur and Saif of similar mentality and invited them to join Al-Qaeda.”