The Assam Special Task Force (STF) arrested a 31-year-old Nalbari resident, identified by the agency as Mrigen Saloi, from a rented house in Gauripur, Changsari (Kamrup) in the early hours of August 31, taking the total number of people detained in the Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN) investigation to five. The STF said the arrest, made in connection with STF P.S. Case No. 06/2026, followed evidence linking the suspect to Pakistan-based individuals allegedly connected with the SBN and that incriminating articles were seized from his possession. “Investigation has revealed his contacts with several Pakistan-based individuals suspected to be associated with SBN,” the agency said in a social media post.
Family members and neighbours have strongly denied the allegations, however, and described the man as innocent. The arrested man is referred to by relatives as Mrigen Haloi; his mother said she spoke to him on the morning of Sunday, August 30, and was unaware of anything that could connect him to the charges. “I would have known if he had done anything wrong, but he wasn’t involved in anything as such,” she told reporters.
Relatives said Haloi had failed his Class 10 examination and had gone to Amingaon to look for work. He had planned to return home in August but delayed his trip pending a salary payment, the family said. A family member urged investigators to examine phone records, suggesting the possibility that someone else could have used his phone to make incriminating calls.
Neighbours echoed the family’s account and one appealed to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and the state DGP for a fair and thorough probe, saying there could be a conspiracy against the accused. The STF, meanwhile, has framed the arrests as part of a broader effort to uncover the network’s activities in Assam.
This latest arrest follows four earlier apprehensions in the case: on July 25 the STF arrested Akramul Islam of Dhubri, Aminur Rahman of Chirang and Abdul Hussain of Barpeta; Fazal Islam Barbhuiyan was later arrested from Ramnathpur in Hailakandi on August 26 based on leads from the ongoing investigation. The STF has said its probe will continue to map the alleged network and identify further links and activities within the state.
Original Source: https://assamtribune.com/assam/fifth-arrest-in-assams-pak-linked-sbn-probe-family-says-nalbari-man-innocent-1616425
Category: Assam,Featured
Tags:
Publish Date: 2026-09-01 19:03:00
