The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Friday arrested eight people, including seven from Gujarat and one from Madhya Pradesh, for allegedly conspiring to establish a network of banned terror outfit JeM and carry out terrorist activities in the state, officials said.
The Gujarat Narcotics Control Agency issued a statement saying that the suspects were working to establish an active network of the group in Gujarat, recruiting members and spreading its ideology. The statement added that they were reaching out to people across India through various means to radicalise them, implementing a ‘dawat’ campaign (inviting people to join the group) and creating an active JeM network in Gujarat.
The agency said the suspects formed an organization called Darul Islam Gujarat Jaish-e-Mohammad in Gujarat as part of the conspiracy. It was alleged that they were in contact with two Pakistan-based officials known as Abdullah and Muhammad Omar, translated JeM literature from Urdu to Gujarati to spread its ideology, and actively participated in a conspiracy to carry out terrorist acts in Gujarat.
The ATS added that the accused had received around $3 lakh for the conspiracy and they used part of the money to buy an old car which was not transferred in their names.
During the searches, the anti-terrorism agency claimed to have recovered 254 digital files, including jihadi books, sermons, audio and video files, photographs and the JeM flag from an encrypted application on one of the accused’s mobile phones. They also confiscated two books written by JeM leader Masoud Azhar that were printed in Pakistan, eight letters in Urdu addressed to Al-Azhar allegedly seeking to join the banned group, photographs of handwritten pages in Urdu, and Gujarati translations of JeM literature allegedly prepared by two of the accused.
Those arrested include Ahmed Abdullah Jajivala alias Abu Ubaida (19 years old) and Ibrahim Muhammad Hussein Gaga alias Abu Hamza (30 years old), both from Nandasan in Mehsana. Mudassir Abdullah Jajivala alias Abu Aya (22) of Bhagal in Palanpur, Banaskantha. Zakaria Durrani Muhammad Amar Gaga alias Ibn Amar alias Zakaria Palanpuri (21), Mufti Vujan Ismail Duva alias Mufti Saab (40), and Muhammad Amin Shira alias Amin Palanpuri (21) are all associated with the Jamia Abul Hasan Madrasa in Khadiasana in Sidhpur, Patan. Muhammad Abdur Rahman Safadi alias Muhammad Palanpuri alias Abu Unisa (22) is associated with Jamia Rahmaniyah Khambihiya in Ambhaita in Chikhali, Navsari. The eighth accused, Bilal Durrani Muhammad Ammar Ghagha, alias Abu Dujana, alias Abu Sufyan, alias Abu Jandal, alias Omar bin Khattab (18 years old), is a resident of Dewas in the state of Madhya Pradesh.
A case has been registered against the eight accused under Section 13 (Unlawful Activities), Section 17 (Raising Funds for Terrorist Acts), Section 18 (Conspiracy for Terrorist Acts), Section 38 (Membership of a Terrorist Organisation) and Section 39 (Supporting a Terrorist Organisation) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, along with Sections 61 (Criminal Conspiracy) and 148 (Concealment of Intent to Commit Certain Offences) of the Act. Combating terrorism. Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.
