The head of the India unit of terror group ISIS and one of his associates were arrested in north eastern state of Assam's Dhubri district yesterday, a spokesman of the police said.

Assam Police Chief Public Relations Officer Pranabjyoti Goswami said last evening that the duo were apprehended from Dharmasala area by the Special Task Force (STF) following a tip-off, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

"Both their identities were ascertained and it was found that Haris Farooqi alias Harish Ajmal Farukhi of Chakrata from Dehradun is the head of ISIS in India," Goswami said.

Farukhi's associate Anurag Singh alias Rehan of Panipat in Haryana converted to Islam and his wife is a Bangladeshi national, he added.

Goswami said information was received from sister agencies that two top-rung leaders of ISIS in India, who were camping in Bangladesh, would cross over to the country through Dhubri sector to carry out sabotage activities.

Based on the input, a team was deputed to locate and apprehend them.

"A manhunt was launched in the international border area to nab the culprits. At around 4:15am of March 20, the accused persons were detected at Dharmasala area of Dhubri after they had crossed the international border," it added.

"Both of them are highly indoctrinated and motivated leaders/members of ISIS in India. They had furthered the cause of ISIS in India through conspiracies to carry out recruitment, terror funding and terror acts using Improvised Explosive Devices at several places across India," the CPRO said.

He said several cases are pending against them at National Investigation Agency and Uttar Pradesh's Anti-Terrorism Squad.

"STF, Assam, will hand over the accused to NIA for taking up further legal actions against these fugitives," the police official said.