Is There a Female Al Qaeda Operative Arrested by Gujarat ATS in Bengaluru?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Shama Parveen was arrested in Bengaluru for alleged ties to Al Qaeda.
- Authorities seized digital devices from her possession.
- Increased intelligence vigilance has been initiated in Bengaluru.
- The case highlights the ongoing threat of terrorism in India.
- Social media is identified as a platform for radicalization.
Bengaluru, July 30 (NationPress) The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has apprehended an alleged female operative of Al Qaeda in Bengaluru, according to police sources on Wednesday.
In response to this development, local authorities in Bengaluru have increased intelligence monitoring throughout the city.
The arrested individual has been identified as Shama Parveen, a 33-year-old hailing from Jharkhand. Preliminary investigations by the ATS suggest her involvement in bolstering the Al Qaeda network within Bengaluru, where she had been residing in the Manorayanapalya area.
The arrest took place on Tuesday during a coordinated action between the Gujarat ATS and local law enforcement. During this operation, authorities confiscated digital devices, including a laptop and mobile phones, from the suspect.
As per police reports, Shama Parveen, a graduate, relocated to Bengaluru three years ago and was living with her brother, a software engineer.
She is suspected of supporting Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and has reportedly promoted the group’s ideology across various social media platforms, including Instagram. Law enforcement stated that she shared videos featuring a prominent Al Qaeda operative and urged young people to embrace terrorism.
Previously, the Gujarat ATS had arrested four other Al Qaeda operatives, and during the inquiry, connections between these individuals and Shama Parveen emerged. Acting on this evidence, the ATS team traveled to Karnataka to apprehend her. Following her arrest, she was presented in court and subsequently taken to Gujarat after securing a transit warrant, police sources confirmed.
In a related incident, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had detained a significant terror suspect at the Kempe Gowda International Airport in Bengaluru on August 31, 2024.
The suspect was identified as Aziz Ahamad, also known as Aziz Ahmed or Jaleel Aziz, from Tamil Nadu. He is a key figure in the Tamil Nadu Hizb-ut-Tahrir case, which involves attempts to radicalize youth and establish an Islamic caliphate in India.
Aziz was captured at the Bengaluru International Airport while attempting to flee the country.
“This case was registered by the NIA against six accused individuals, who are influenced by the extremist, radical, and fundamental ideology of Hizb-ut-Tahrir, an international pan-Islamist organization striving to establish an Islamic caliphate and enforce a constitution authored by its founder, Taqi al-Din al-Nabhani,” the NIA stated.