Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Friday that terrorist sleeper cells may be active in the state, namely in Bengaluru and Mysuru.
According to the minister, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) suspected that terrorists belonging to Jamat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) were allegedly moving along parts of coastal and interior Karnataka.
“There is a possibility of sleeper cells in Bengaluru and Mysuru, hence the NIA wants us to take extra care,” the minister said to the media in Mysuru.
He further added that they had entered the country through Bangladesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
“According to information available from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, they are active in the coastal areas of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. While there are sleeper cells in Bengaluru, Mysuru, there is more information which cannot be disclosed at this juncture. However, measures are being taken to curb their activities by enhancing surveillance,” he said according to TNIE.
While the minister said that more information could not be revealed at this point, he did state that police are alert and that further information was being gathered about the potential suspects. The minister also said that there was an increase in illegal Bangladeshi immigrants moving within the state.
Earlier in the week, Bommai had announced the formation of the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) which would be working to uncover further details of potential suspects. The ATS will be working closely with the NIA. A ‘Bengaluru-specific ATS’ will reportedly function from November 1.
A state-wide ATS has already been established and implemented following the seizure of explosive devices and materials from an alleged JMB member last year.
Earlier, NIA chief Y C Modi addressed the media and stated that JMB had begun to spread its activities across various parts of India, including Karnataka and Kerala in the south.