Jharkhand ATS arrests 4 in Dhanbad for suspected links to HuT, AQIS, ISIS
The ATS recovered two pistols, 12 cartridges, several mobile phones, laptops, and a large cache of documents and books related to banned outfits from their possession
Dhanbad: The Jharkhand Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) raided multiple locations across Jharkhand’s Dhanbad district on Saturday, arresting four suspects allegedly linked to banned extremist organisations including Hizb ut-Tahrir (HuT), Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), and ISIS.
“Confidential information was received that individuals associated with HuT, AQIS, ISIS, and other banned organizations were misleading local youths via social media, promoting religious extremism, and conducting anti-national activities,” a statement issued by Jharkhand ATS read.
Based on this intelligence, ATS teams conducted simultaneous raids across Dhanbad, including Wasseypur, Bank More, and Bhuli areas.
The four suspects arrested are Gulfam Hasan (21) a resident of Alinagar in Bank More; Ayaan Javed (21), a resident of Aman Society in Bhuli; Md. Shahzad Alam (20) a resident of Aman Society near Bhuli Bypass; Shabnam Praveen (20) a resident of Shamsher Nagar in Bhuli.
The ATS recovered two pistols, 12 cartridges, several mobile phones, laptops, and a large cache of documents and books related to banned outfits from their possession. “A criminal case has been registered at ATS Ranchi, and further investigation is underway,” the release stated.
The Jharkhand ATS highlighted that this is the first criminal case registered in India after HuT, an international Islamic organization formed in Jerusalem in 1953 with branches in many parts of the world under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967, for its involvement in radicalising youth to join violent jihad, was banned under by the Government of India last year.
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The suspects were allegedly involved in the illegal arms trade and used the dark web to connect with international terror networks. They were reportedly spreading extremist ideology among youths through encrypted messaging apps and social media, people aware of the development said.
Armed with heavy security force, senior officers including deputy superintendent of police (Law and Order) Naushad Alam supervised the operations.
The arrests come amid heightened security and alerts nationwide following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 tourists.
