Al-Qaeda search takes NIA team to Beniapukur

Kolkata: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) raided multiple spots across Bengal in search of Al-Qaeda operatives on Monday, including a 300-meter odd stretch in Beniapukur's Cantopher Lane.This lane is only a few hundred metres from Indian Mujahideen founder Ameer Reza Khan's residence at Mofizul Islam Lane. Ameer's elder brother Asif was gunned down in 2001 by Gujarat police. To avenge his death, the Ameer-led Asif Reza Commando Force, executed Kolkata's biggest terror strike in Jan 2022: the USIS attack. The NIA, in association with Bengal STF, carried out a search at a particular residence on Cantopher Lane and has now served the building's landlord a notice, asking him to join the investigations. The Kolkata Police, which has been accumulating intelligence shared with multiple agencies, said they are in touch with the NIA and filling them with necessary inputs. Sources said the local police have been asked to recheck their data on those who are renting, and all guesthouses have been asked to provide guest lists on a priority basis each day.Cops said it is suspected that someone from Kolkata helped Al-Qaeda operatives with their stay in India by providing them with Aadhaar and PAN details. A local shop owner said, "I noticed a police van on Monday. But we know nothing about a raid or questioning. Neither do I know where the police had gone."The NIA's raid, though, has raised questions about whether the older module of the Indian Mujahideen (IM) was trying to become active in the city again.IM carried out multiple blasts and attacks in the country between 2005 and 2013. The group was co-founded by Ameer, an active member of the Indian Mujahideen. Khan lived in Kolkata until his name cropped up in the American Centre attack.
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