NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday conducted raids at multiple locations across three states in connection with ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’, a radicalised module that is being run by Pak-based suspects.
According to NIA sources, a total of five locations – one at Darbhanga and two at Patna in Bihar, one in Gujarat’s Surat, and one in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly – were raided by NIA teams in the case registered last year. Incriminating materials, including digital devices such as mobile phones, memory cards and SIM cards were seized.
The case came to light after the Bihar police arrested Marghoob Ahmad Danish alias Tahir of Phulwarisharif area of Patna, following which an FIR was registered on July 14 last year. The NIA took over the case and re-registered it a few days later. Marghoob was chargesheeted on January 6, 2023, under various sections of Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
The accused was found to be a member of the Ghazwa-e-Hind module, which was operated by Pak-based operatives, with the objective of radicalising impressionable youth for the establishment of Ghazwa-e-Hind over the Indian territory.
Investigations revealed that Marghoob was the admin of a WhatsApp Group, ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’, created by a Pakistani national named Zain. He had added many Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Yemenis to the group with the aim of establishing sleeper cells in the country for carrying out terrorist activities. The accused had created various social media groups of the ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’ on WhatsApp, Telegram and BiP Messenger. He had also created another WhatsApp group in the name of ‘BDGhazwa E HindBD’ and had added Bangladeshi nationals to it.
Further probe showed that various suspects involved in the case were in contact with Pakistan-based handlers and were involved in propagating the idea of Ghazwa-e-Hind. The first raids were conducted by the NIA in the last week of July in Patna, Darbhanga, East Champaran, Nalanda and Madhubani districts of Bihar. The raids on July 14 in the Phulwarisharif area of Patna had led to the seizure of documents about the radical group PFI’s ‘Mission 2047’ for making India an Islamic state.
In the suspected terror module case, the security agencies had first arrested Athar Parvez, Mohammad Jalaluddin and Arman Malik. Jalaluddin is a former Jharkhand police officer who retired after 39 years of service. During questioning, they revealed the names of Margoob and Shabbir.
An arrest in Patna led to Pak-based radical group
The case came to light after the Bihar police arrested Marghoob Ahmad Danish alias Tahir of Phulwarisharif area of Patna. The accused was found to be a member of the Ghazwa-e-Hind module, which was operated by Pak-based operatives, with the objective of radicalising impressionable youth for the establishment of Ghazwa-e-Hind over the Indian territory.