A suspected terror link is being investigated after a blast at the Vasundhara police outpost in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, with a National Investigation Agency (NIA) team visiting the site to gather evidence. One food delivery executive was injured in the incident. At the centre of the probe is a claim of responsibility posted on social media by a group identifying itself as the Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen (TuM), according to officials.

Who Is the Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen

The TuM is not a new name in India's security landscape. The original outfit was founded in 1990 by Yunus Khan, with its stated primary objective being the 'liberation' of Jammu and Kashmir from India. The group initially carried out grenade attacks before pivoting toward radicalisation and providing logistical support to outfits such as the Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Its operational structure has since transformed significantly. Recent charge sheets by Jammu and Kashmir's State Investigation Agency (SIA) uncovered a prominent narcotics module linked to the group, which is currently reportedly managed by Pakistan-based Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, alias Khalid Bhai. According to officials, the outfit also raises funds through the narcotics trade for other terror groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir. Several splinter factions of the TuM have been investigated for orchestrating cyber crimes and smaller ground-level operations.

Is This a Newly Fabricated Offshoot

What agencies are now specifically examining is whether the faction that claimed responsibility for the Ghaziabad incident is a freshly created offshoot of the original group, an Intelligence Bureau official said. The claim, officials noted, fits a pattern of proxy organisations that have mushroomed in recent months — particularly, according to officials, after Operation Sindoor.

Some of these proxies act as fronts for larger terror organisations such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, while others reportedly maintain only an online presence, issuing threats that serve as a smokescreen, an official said.

Pakistan's Alleged Proxy Proliferation Strategy

Officials allege that Pakistan has deliberately facilitated the proliferation of such proxy groups to confuse investigators and derail probes. Among the groups cited are The Resistance Front, the People's Anti-Fascist Front (PAAF), the Jammu and Kashmir Ghaznavi Force (JKGF), the United Liberation Front (ULF), and the Kashmir Tigers (KT) — each reportedly a proxy of either the Lashkar, the Jaish, or the Hizbul Mujahideen, according to officials.

The primary function of these groups, officials contend, is to flood social media with false claims, drawing agency resources onto their trail and providing cover for the larger organisations to plan operations undetected. Another example cited by officials is the Tehreek-e-Taliban Hindustan (TTH), reportedly created through the Shehzad Bhatti network as a notional Indian offshoot of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Officials allege Pakistan is attempting to construct an India link by floating non-existent groups such as the TTH, particularly as it faces pressure from the TTP domestically.

India's Anti-Proxy Response

Officials indicated that beyond countering Pakistan-backed terrorists on the ground, India is also preparing for what they describe as a large-scale anti-proxy war. Investigators stress the need to probe such claims swiftly and call them out publicly before they can cause further disruption to intelligence operations, an official said. The NIA's visit to Ghaziabad marks an early step in that effort.