Inside alleged JeM module uncovered in Gujarat: Masood Azhar speeches, Pak handlers and covert funding

Ahmedabad, July 3 (SocialNews.XYZ) What began as a piece of intelligence received by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) about suspected extremist activity in North Gujarat has, investigators say, led to the unearthing of an alleged Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) module that had been quietly taking shape over the past few months through a network of relatives, trusted associates and online contacts.

The ATS has arrested eight people from Banaskantha, Patan, Navsari, Mehsana and Madhya Pradesh, alleging that they were working on behalf of the Pakistan-based banned terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed to establish an operational network in Gujarat.

All eight have been booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and have been remanded to 14 days' police custody as the investigation widens.

Gujarat ATS DIG Sunil Joshi said the case was the 11th terror-related case registered by the ATS over the past three-and-a-half years.

"Before this case, we had registered 10 separate cases under the UAPA and the BNS/IPC related to terrorist activities, in which 30 accused had been arrested. This is the 11th case in the last three-and-a-half years, in which eight accused have been arrested. Overall, we have arrested 38 accused during this period," he said.

According to the ATS, the investigation began after Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) Harsh Upadhyay received intelligence that certain individuals from Banaskantha, Patan and nearby areas had become associated with Jaish-e-Mohammed and were spreading its ideology in Gujarat.

A special team under ATS Superintendent of Police (SP) K.K. Siddharth was formed, combining technical surveillance with human intelligence.

"The surveillance continued for around one to two months before investigators confirmed the identities of the alleged members and simultaneously launched coordinated raids across Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh," Joshi told IANS.

The arrests were carried out from multiple locations. Two of the accused, whom the ATS identifies as the principal members of the group, Ahmed Abdullah Gajivala (19) and Ibrahim Mohammad Husain Ghagha (30), were first detained while travelling separately in two vehicles near Nandasan.

Simultaneously, three others were arrested from a madrasa in Khadiyasan in Patan district, one from a madrasa in Chikhli in Navsari district, one from Banaskantha and another from Dewas in Madhya Pradesh.

Investigators allege the group had recently created a local organisation under the name "Dar-ul-Islam Gujarat Jaish-e-Mohammed".

According to Joshi, the organisation consisted only of the eight accused and had existed for only a few months.

"This system that they created was formed only about five to six months ago. It is relatively new. They floated it among themselves about one-and-a-half to two months ago," he said.

The ATS alleges that although the formal organisation was recent, several members had been consuming and sharing extremist content online for much longer.

According to Joshi, some had been radicalised individually over the previous two to three years before eventually coming together as a single module.

"All of them have been active individually in their own ways. They became members of this particular group only recently. They already knew each other but carried out their activities separately. The module that we have uncovered came together only around two to four months ago," Joshi told IANS.

Investigators say the group's structure was deliberately kept small. Rather than recruiting widely, the accused allegedly sought only individuals they personally knew and trusted.

"They admitted that they would not induct anyone unless they believed the person genuinely supported jihad and would not act as a police informer. The aim was to maintain a tightly controlled core group capable of providing logistical support if instructed by handlers in future," officials confirmed.

The ATS alleges that the module maintained direct contact with Pakistani handlers, principally a person identified as "Abdullah" and another identified as "Mohammad Umar".

Joshi said Ahmed and Ibrahim appeared to have established the earliest contact with the handler, who allegedly issued instructions from Pakistan.

Investigators claim the group communicated using Indian mobile numbers through online platforms including Instagram, Telegram and WhatsApp, while also using the encrypted storage platform NordLocker to exchange material.

One aspect of the investigation that investigators consider significant is an alleged meeting in Vadodara around two to three months ago.

According to Joshi, Ahmed and Ibrahim met an unidentified man whom investigators believe acted as an intermediary between the Pakistani handler and the Gujarat-based group.

The meeting allegedly took place in an open area near a highway after both sides were provided only GPS coordinates.

"The accused themselves were only given coordinates. They do not know how the other person travelled there. They simply identified each other after reaching the location and then held the meeting," Joshi told IANS.

According to the ATS, the man spoke with a Kashmiri accent, although investigators have not independently identified him.

Joshi said the accused told investigators that the individual provided books, literature and speeches related to Jaish-e-Mohammed, discussed jihad and the organisation for several hours, and advised them on maintaining secrecy, limiting their activities and operating cautiously.

"He can be described as a middleman between the handler and them," Joshi said, adding that investigators are continuing efforts to identify him.

Investigators further allege that the accused received Rs 3 lakh in cash from the Pakistani network using a "dead-drop" method.

According to Joshi, they were provided with a location somewhere between Rajasthan and Gujarat, where cash had already been concealed for collection.

"They were given the location, and they went there and collected it," he said, adding that the precise location would be disclosed only after investigators completed their examination of the site.

The ATS alleges that part of this money was used to purchase a second-hand vehicle costing around Rs 1.5 lakh, which has since been seized. Some of the remaining cash has also been recovered.

"The vehicle had not yet been transferred into the accused's name," officials added.

Investigators say the module's activities extended beyond online communication.

According to the ATS, members held regular physical meetings in Bhabhar and neighbouring villages, while the accused studying in Navsari periodically travelled to meet the others.

The ATS also alleges that they exchanged letters, translated literature and shared documents through encrypted digital platforms.

Among the material seized are mobile phones, handwritten letters, Urdu correspondence, books printed in Pakistan, audio and video files, photographs, translated literature and a hand-made Jaish-e-Mohammed flag.

Investigators recovered 254 digital files from NordLocker, including books, speeches, photographs, videos, audio recordings and images of the organisation's flag.

The ATS also alleges that two books written by Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar and printed in Pakistan were recovered, along with eight letters written in Urdu expressing a desire to join the organisation.

Investigators further claim they recovered Gujarati translations of "Dars-e-Jihad", a book attributed to Masood Azhar, which they allege were translated by two of the accused to help spread the organisation's ideology among Gujarati-speaking audiences.

Joshi said investigators also recovered handwritten translations, books and correspondence from the accused.

He alleged that members regularly watched videos and speeches by Masood Azhar, describing him as the ideological influence behind the group.

"His speeches mainly revolve around jihad. He covers many subjects, but the primary themes are anti-India propaganda and jihad. They were influenced by Azhar," Joshi said.

The ATS has also highlighted the close personal relationships among the accused. Most are from Bhabhar and neighbouring villages in Banaskantha district. Ahmed and Mudassir are brothers.

Zakariya Durrani and Bilal Durrani are also brothers, while Ibrahim is related to another accused through the maternal side of the family. Investigators believe these family and social ties played a significant role in maintaining secrecy and limiting recruitment.

Although four of the accused had links with two madrasas where they studied or taught, Joshi cautioned against drawing broader conclusions about the institutions themselves.

He said investigators had not found evidence that either madrasa was the origin of the alleged module or that the institutions had received terrorist funding.

"I have not found the madrasa to be the epicentre in my case. In this case, the epicentre is Ahmed and Ibrahim. The madrasa is not the origin point. If the organisation had originated from the madrasa, that would have been a different matter," Joshi told IANS.

He added that Ahmed and Ibrahim had introduced the Maulana to the group rather than the other way around, and that investigators currently had no evidence suggesting institutional involvement.

"As far as funding is concerned, we have not found that it came through the madrasa. That is a separate issue," officials said.

Investigators say none of the accused has any known criminal history and, so far, they have found no evidence that any had attended terrorist training camps.

They also say they have not established any direct connection between this case and previous ATS investigations involving alleged extremist networks or former members of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).

The ATS said it has not identified any specific target or planned attack linked to the group. Instead, investigators believe the alleged objective was to gradually establish a trusted support network that could provide logistical assistance to Jaish-e-Mohammed if called upon in future.

"So far, the investigation has not revealed any specific target. However, they were trying to establish a strong network here that could provide logistical support to a foreign proscribed terrorist organisation whenever required," Joshi said.

A case has been registered at the ATS Police Station against all eight accused under Sections 13, 17, 18, 38 and 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, and Sections 61 and 148 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

With the accused now in police custody, investigators are continuing to analyse seized mobile phones, encrypted communications, financial transactions and online accounts.

The ATS says it is also attempting to identify additional contacts within India and abroad, establish the identity of the alleged Kashmiri intermediary, verify the alleged dead-drop location used to transfer funds, and determine whether the network had progressed beyond the organisational stage before it was dismantled.

Source: IANS