In a multi-state crackdown, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested eight persons for their links with Pakistan-based terror organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), police said on Friday.
The coordinated counter-terrorism crackdown spanned across multiple regions in Gujarat, including Banaskantha, Patan, and Navsari, as well as Dewas in Madhya Pradesh.
The arrested persons were allegedly operating as a highly active sleeper module dedicated to establishing a resilient, functional terror network within Gujarat to orchestrate future attacks. They were predominantly between 18 and 40 years old, police said.
Several of the apprehended men were operating out of religious and educational sanctuaries, including the Jamia Abul Hasan Madrasa in Patan and the Jamia Rahmaniya Khambhiya in Navsari. Security agencies believe these locations were being used as cover to radicalise young people and seamlessly facilitate logistics.
The breakthrough came to light after the ATS officially registered a comprehensive case against the eight accused at the ATS police station. All eight persons have been sent to 14 days of police custody.
They face charges under Sections 13, 17, 18, 38, and 39 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), 1967, which target unlawful activities, terror funding, conspiracy, and association with a banned outfit. Additionally, charges have been pressed under Sections 148 and 61 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.
