PETALING JAYA: Indian intelligence agencies are believed to have intercepted financial transactions suggesting that a Malaysia-based Rohingya outfit may be in an advanced stage of orchestrating a terror strike in that country by a group led by a woman, The Times of India (TOI) reported today.
The newspaper report said the Indian authorities were also checking whether these transactions had links with controversial preacher Zakir Naik, who has been given permanent residence in Malaysia.
Naik has been wanted by Indian authorities since 2016 on charges of money laundering and inciting extremism through hate speeches.
TOI said the intelligence suggested that the group, trained in Myanmar, may attempt a strike in an Indian city in the next few weeks.
Quoting sources who confirmed it, the report said the intelligence establishment had alerted the police and state intelligence bureaus of Delhi, Haryana, UP, Bihar and West Bengal to step up surveillance late Friday. The likely targets mentioned were Ayodhya, Bodhgaya, Srinagar and in Punjab.
An intelligence document, seen by TOI, stated that a slew of suspicious India-centric transactions to the tune of more than RM820,000 (15 million Indian rupees) had been tracked to a Kuala Lumpur-based Rohingya leader and others.
The document stated that a Chennai-based suspect, probably a hawala dealer (currency exchange middlemen), had received part of this money.
Police believe the group was to infiltrate India in mid or end of December through Bangladesh.
The woman leader was supposedly trained in Myanmar and it is suspected that she was sent to Myanmar from Malaysia early this year, a source said.
Police are keeping a close watch on the Popular Front of India which may extend support to the group for logistics, the newspaper added.
The intelligence sources said they were trying to figure out if a Rohingya militant group, which came under the radar last year for raising funds for Rohingya refugees in Malaysia, was involved in the current set of transfers.
FMT has contacted Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador for comment.