Mumbai, Apr 23 (IANS): Expressing concern over a suspected Islamic State sympathiser's arrest in Mumbra town in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena on Saturday said the Muslim-dominated town should be cleansed of "Islamic terror" elements to save the country.

The party said the town was on the route to becoming an "IS terror factory".

Mumbra, around 30 km to the north of Mumbai, is a town with around a one million population, with Muslims in majority.

An ancient port town famed for shipbuilding since 600 AD, it is named after Mumbra Devi, whose temple is located on the peak of a local hill.

In an editorial in the party mouthpieces 'Saamana' and 'Dopahar Ka Saamana', the Sena said that even last year, some IS activists were nabbed from Mumbra and Vaijapur in Marathwada region of Maharashtra, including 'commander' Mudbir Sheikh, who was recruiting youths for the global terror group.

Now, the party said, a terror suspect Shamshad Ahmed Shaikh alias Nazim had been arrested from Mumbra on April 20. Nazim is one of the four suspected IS sympathisers arrested in a joint raid coordinated by police of six states, including the Anti-Terrorism Squads of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.

The Sena recalled that a consignment of deadly RDX explosive used in the March 1993 Mumbai terror attacks was offloaded in a small creek near Mumbra town in 1993.

Some suspected activists of Lashkar-e-Toiba and al-Qaeda were nabbed from Mumbra, four youths from neighbouring Kalyan town attempted to join the IS war, while one Mumbra boy Noor Mohammed Tambe alias Tabrez ran away from home to join the terror group, it said.

"This does not imply that all Muslim brethren in Mumbra are indulging in anti-national activities. But the fact remains that Mumbra is tainted as a mini-Pakistan. Worse, now it appears to be on the path to becoming an IS terror factory," the edit said.

While the latest ATS action has foiled terror designs, it remains to be seen when terror dens in Mumbra will be razed and "extremist snakes crushed forever".

The edit said there is an urgent need to launch 'Operation Mumbra' to cleanse the town of terrorist elements.