The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested eight people from Banaskantha, Patan, Navsari, Mehsana and Madhya Pradesh for allegedly establishing an operational network in Gujarat on behalf of the Pakistan-based banned terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). The arrests, carried out on 3 July, follow one to two months of coordinated technical surveillance and human intelligence, and represent the 11th terror-related case registered by the Gujarat ATS in the past three-and-a-half years.

How the Module Was Uncovered

The investigation was triggered after Deputy Superintendent of Police Harsh Upadhyay received intelligence that individuals from Banaskantha, Patan and nearby areas had developed links with Jaish-e-Mohammed and were propagating its ideology in Gujarat. A special team was constituted under ATS Superintendent of Police K.K. Siddharth, blending technical surveillance with ground-level intelligence gathering.

Surveillance ran for approximately one to two months before investigators confirmed the identities of the alleged members and launched simultaneous raids across Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The two individuals identified as the principal members — Ahmed Abdullah Gajivala (19) and Ibrahim Mohammad Husain Ghagha (30) — were detained while travelling in separate vehicles near Nandasan. Three others were arrested from a madrasa in Khadiyasan, Patan district; one from a madrasa in Chikhli, Navsari district; one from Banaskantha; and another from Dewas, Madhya Pradesh.

Structure and Ideology of the Alleged Network

Investigators allege the group had formally constituted a local body under the name 'Dar-ul-Islam Gujarat Jaish-e-Mohammed', though ATS DIG Sunil Joshi said it had existed for only five to six months and had been floated among the accused themselves roughly one-and-a-half to two months before the arrests. According to Joshi, several members had individually been consuming and sharing extremist content for two to three years before converging into a single module two to four months ago.

The group's structure was deliberately kept tight. According to officials, the accused admitted they would not recruit anyone unless they were personally trusted and believed to genuinely support jihad and would not act as a police informer. The stated aim, investigators say, was to build a logistical support network that could be activated by handlers in future.

Among the material seized are 254 digital files recovered from the encrypted storage platform NordLocker, including books, speeches, photographs, videos and audio recordings. Physical evidence includes two books written by JeM chief Masood Azhar printed in Pakistan, eight letters in Urdu expressing a desire to join the organisation, Gujarati translations of Azhar's 'Dars-e-Jihad' — allegedly translated by two of the accused to spread ideology among Gujarati-speaking audiences — and a hand-made Jaish-e-Mohammed flag. Joshi said members regularly watched Azhar's speeches, describing him as the group's ideological influence: 'His speeches mainly revolve around jihad... the primary themes are anti-India propaganda and jihad. They were influenced by Azhar.'

Pakistani Handlers and the Vadodara Meeting

The ATS alleges the module maintained direct contact with Pakistani handlers, principally individuals identified as 'Abdullah' and 'Mohammad Umar'. Communication was conducted using Indian mobile numbers over Instagram, Telegram and WhatsApp, supplemented by the encrypted platform NordLocker.

A key episode under investigation is an alleged in-person meeting in Vadodara approximately two to three months before the arrests. According to Joshi, Ahmed and Ibrahim met an unidentified man believed to have acted as an intermediary between the Pakistani handler and the Gujarat group. The meeting reportedly took place in an open area near a highway, with both sides given only GPS coordinates to locate each other. '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 said. The individual, described as speaking with a Kashmiri accent, allegedly provided JeM literature, discussed jihad for several hours and advised the group on secrecy and operational caution. Investigators say they are continuing efforts to identify him.

Dead-Drop Funding and Seized Assets

The ATS further alleges the accused received ₹3 lakh in cash from the Pakistani network through a 'dead-drop' method — a covert technique in which funds are concealed at a pre-arranged location for collection without direct contact. According to Joshi, the accused were provided with a location somewhere between Rajasthan and Gujarat, travelled there, and collected the cash. The precise location is being withheld pending site examination.

Part of the funds was allegedly used to purchase a second-hand vehicle worth approximately ₹1.5 lakh, which has since been seized. Officials noted the vehicle had not yet been transferred into the accused's name. Some of the remaining cash has also been recovered.

What Investigators Have — and Have Not — Established

Joshi clarified that although four of the accused had links with two madrasas where they studied or taught, investigators had found no evidence that either institution was the origin point of the module or 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,' he said.

Investigators also confirmed that none of the eight accused has a prior criminal record, and no evidence of attendance at terrorist training camps has been found. No specific attack target has been identified. The ATS says the group's alleged objective was preparatory — building a trusted logistical base for future use by JeM rather than planning an imminent strike. No direct link to previous ATS investigations involving alleged extremist networks or former members of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) has been established.

All eight accused have been booked 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, and have been remanded to 14 days' police custody. Investigators are continuing to analyse seized mobile phones, encrypted communications, financial transactions and online accounts, while also working to identify the alleged Kashmiri intermediary and verify the dead-drop site.