Gujarat ATS busts radicalisation module arrests two men for terror conspiracy

Ahmedabad, Apr 21 (PTI) The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has arrested two persons for allegedly conspiring to carry out anti-national activities and waging war against the country by radicalising individuals through social media, officials said.

    The accused planned to create a terror network aimed at establishing "Ghazwa-e-Hind" (conquest of India), wage war against the country using RDX explosives, target political leaders linked to RSS and recruit youth through social media to fulfil their motives, they said.

    The ATS has been maintaining close surveillance on anti-national activities on social media and the internet through technical and human intelligence, the agency said in a release.

    During this process, specific inputs were received about Irfan Kalekhan Pathan (22), a resident of Siddhpur in Patan district, who was allegedly influenced by extremist Islamic ideology.

    Acting on the inputs, ATS officials brought Pathan in for questioning. An examination of his mobile phone showed that he was in contact with people linked to ISIS and other radical individuals and groups through platforms such as WhatsApp and Instagram, the release said.

    A preliminary probe suggested that Pathan was actively involved in spreading jihadist propaganda and attempting to build a network of like-minded radicals across the country, it said.

    Pathan, along with associates, had hatched a conspiracy to wage war against the Government of India and create a terror network aimed at establishing "Ghazwa-e-Hind", the ATS charged.

    He was allegedly planning to recruit "mujahideens" from different states, provide them with training in handling weapons and manufacturing explosives, including RDX bombs, and organise camps for such activities, it said.

     Investigators also found that the accused had discussed targeting political leaders, individuals associated with the RSS, and "kafirs", and was planning to impose Shariat (Islamic law) as part of the broader conspiracy, the ATS claimed.

    Further, Pathan was allegedly in touch with terror organisations to facilitate the smuggling of arms from Pakistan and Afghanistan and to raise funds to execute the planned terror activities across India, the release said.

    Based on these findings, the ATS registered an FIR under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 61 (criminal conspiracy) and 148 (waging war against the government), and arrested Pathan.

    During further investigation, the involvement of Murshid Zahid Akhtar Sheikh (21), a resident of Sakinaka in Mumbai, came to light. A team of Gujarat ATS, with assistance from Maharashtra Police, detained Sheikh and brought him for questioning.

    As per officials, Sheikh's mobile phone also contained objectionable material and chats indicating his active involvement in the conspiracy along with Pathan.

    "Sheikh was subsequently arrested in the case," the release said.

    A local court on Tuesday remanded both accused to 11-day ATS custody. Further investigation is underway to identify other persons involved in the alleged terror plot, the ATS added.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)