The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad ( ATS ) on Saturday arrested a 33-year-old man from Mahim over alleged links to Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).
Investigators are also probing his alleged contact with Pakistani intelligence operatives, news agency ANI reported. An examination of his mobile phone revealed inflammatory social media posts and audio clips featuring JeM chief Masood Azhar , according to the ATS. Earlier in July, the Gujarat ATS arrested eight people, including seven from Gujarat and one from Madhya Pradesh, for allegedly conspiring to establish a network of the banned terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed and carry out terrorist activities in the state, HT reported earlier.
The accused has been identified as Mohammad Hasan Abu Sarmad Akhtar. They were allegedly contacting people across India through various mediums to radicalise them, carry out Dawat (inviting people to join the outfit) and establish an active JeM network in the state.
In a statement, the Gujarat ATS said the suspects were working to establish an active network of the outfit in Gujarat, recruit members and spread its ideology. The ATS also alleged that the suspects had formed an organisation called “Darul Islam Gujarat Jaish-e-Mohammed” as part of the conspiracy. They were in contact with Pakistan-based handlers identified as Abdullah and Mohammad Umar, had translated JeM literature from Urdu into Gujarati to propagate its ideology, and had actively participated in a conspiracy to carry out terrorist acts in Gujarat, according to the agency.
The Kalachowki unit of the ATS has registered a case against the accused under Section 196(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
