NIA, ATS raid Bihar village in search of IM operative

Three days after the arrest of a top Indian Mujahideen [ Images ] operative from a village in Bihar, a joint team of the National Investigation Agency and Maharashtra [ Images ] Anti-Terrorism Squad raided another village in the state on Friday in search of another IM cadre, police officials said.

"A joint team of the NIA and Mumbai [ Images ] ATS have raided Maniari village in Samastipur district in search of T Sonu, a suspected operative of the Indian Mujahideen. But he was not found in his house," a district police official said.

According to local police officials, a team of NIA and Maharashtra ATS officials is camping in the state in search of IM terrorists in north Bihar districts.

"The NIA and the ATS team is searching T Sonu following information provided by Mohammad Danish Ansari, who was arrested by the NIA team from Chakjora village in Darbhanga three days ago," police said.

Sonu is suspected to be a friend of arrested Ansari.

Ansari is a close associate of IM founder Yasin Bhatkal. Security agencies claim that Ansari provided shelter to Bhatkal. He is also wanted by the Delhi [ Images ] Police in a terror-related case.