Abu Naser Zilani. Telegraph pictures

Dhubri, Sept. 13: Activist Abu Naser Zilani, who was allegedly running the Islamic United Reformation Protest of India in Dhubri town, was arrested in a joint operation by police and troops of the army’s Red Horns division last night.

The team raided Zilani’s residence on the outskirts of Dhubri town in Jhagrarpar Part-I under Dhubri police station and recovered five extortion notes, two crude bombs and two mobile phones.

A police source said Zilani had been serving extortion letters to the traders and businessmen since the past few months.

“The extortion notes were for Rs 10 lakh and Rs 5 lakh,” the source added.

Zilani’s NGO Udayan spearheaded the movement against the money networking business in Dhubri district last year.

A police source said he also ran a tele-medicine and conferencing centre and involved in various other activities under the veil of the organisation.

An army intelligence source said the organisation is a lesser-known militant group operating in Assam since 2004.

Additional superintendent of police Prasanta Dutta said they had received information on the organisation’s activities and a joint operation was launched at midnight last night.

“The police and army are interrogating Zilani,” Dutta said.

The arrest will thwart the organisation’s attempts at extortion in Dhubri district, the source claimed.

“Zilani is still being interrogated and will be produced in Dhubri court tomorrow,” said Harin Deka, the officer-in-charge of Dhubri police station.