Ahmedabad, July 3 — Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) investigators say intelligence about suspected extremist activity in North Gujarat has led to the arrest of eight people allegedly linked to a nascent Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) module operating in the state. The accused were detained in coordinated raids across Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh and have been booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita; they have been remanded to 14 days’ police custody as inquiries continue.
The ATS identified the eight suspects as residents of Banaskantha, Patan, Navsari, Mehsana and Dewas (Madhya Pradesh). Two principal accused, Ahmed Abdullah Gajivala, 19, and Ibrahim Mohammad Husain Ghagha, 30, were detained near Nandasan while travelling separately. Others were arrested from madrasas in Khadiyasan (Patan) and Chikhli (Navsari), and from locations in Banaskantha and Dewas. Investigators say the group had formed a local body called “Dar-ul-Islam Gujarat Jaish-e-Mohammed” only a few months ago.
Gujarat ATS DIG Sunil Joshi said this is the ATS’s 11th terror-related case in the past three-and-a-half years, bringing the total number of arrests in such probes to 38. He told IANS that initial tips were received by DySP Harsh Upadhyay indicating individuals in Banaskantha, Patan and nearby areas had become associated with JeM and were spreading its ideology in Gujarat.
A special ATS team led by SP K.K. Siddharth combined technical surveillance and human intelligence. Officials say surveillance over one to two months identified the alleged members before simultaneous raids. The ATS alleges the small cell deliberately kept recruitment limited to trusted acquaintances and relatives to avoid detection.
According to the ATS, the module maintained direct contact with handlers in Pakistan identified as “Abdullah” and “Mohammad Umar.” Investigators allege communications used Indian mobile numbers and online platforms including Instagram, Telegram and WhatsApp, and that the group exchanged materials via encrypted storage service NordLocker. The ATS also says an alleged intermediary met Ahmed and Ibrahim in Vadodara two to three months ago after both sides were given only GPS coordinates.
Officials allege the accused received about Rs 3 lakh from the Pakistani network through a dead-drop between Rajasthan and Gujarat; part of the money was reportedly used to buy a second‑hand vehicle for about Rs 1.5 lakh, which has been seized. Some cash was also recovered. The vehicle had not been transferred into the accused’s name, ATS said.
Seized items include mobile phones, handwritten Urdu letters, books printed in Pakistan, audio‑video files, photographs, translated literature, a hand‑made JeM flag and 254 digital files retrieved from NordLocker. The ATS says it recovered two books attributed to JeM chief Masood Azhar and Gujarati translations of “Dars‑e‑Jihad,” which it alleges were prepared by two accused to spread the group’s ideology.
Joshi cautioned against implicating the madrasas where some accused studied or taught, saying, “I have not found the madrasa to be the epicentre in my case. In this case, the epicentre is Ahmed and Ibrahim.” He added investigators have found no evidence so far of terrorist training, institutional funding, a specific planned attack, or direct links to earlier ATS probes, and that forensic analysis of devices, financial transactions and encrypted accounts is ongoing. The ATS is continuing efforts to identify additional contacts, verify the alleged dead‑drop site and establish the identity of the suspected Kashmiri intermediary.
Original Source: https://theshillongtimes.com/2026/07/03/inside-alleged-jem-module-uncovered-in-gujarat-masood-azhar-speeches-pak-handlers-and-covert-funding/
Category: NATIONAL,News Alert
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Publish Date: 2026-07-03 21:46:00
