The National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted raids across four States on Sunday to root out the “Pakistan-backed Gazwa-e-Hind module”.
The agency seized digital evidence and documents from suspects during the raids. These allegedly revealed the suspects’ links with Pakistan-based handlers. “Suspects were in contact with handlers and were involved in propagating radical, anti-India ideas that typify Gazwa-e-Hind,” the agency said.
Raids were carried out in Dewas district of Madhya Pradesh, Gir Somnath district of Gujarat, Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh and Kozhikode district of Kerala. The agency seized mobile phones and SIM cards.
The case was initially registered on July 14, 2022, by the Phulwarisharif police in Patna, Bihar, following the arrest of Marghoob Ahmad Danish aka Tahir. The accused was the administrator of a WhatsApp Group named ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’, created by Pakistani national Zain.
Tahir allegedly added several people from India as well as other countries, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Yemen, to the group, which was also active on other social media platforms such as Telegram and BiP Messenger. “Aimed at radicalising impressionable youth, the stated aim is the enabling of Ghazwa-e-Hind. The group was managed by Pakistan-based suspects,” said the NIA.
According to NIA investigations, Tahir was trying to motivate group members “to create sleeper cells that would carry out terrorist activities across India”. The accused created another WhatsApp group called ‘BDGhazwa E HindBD’, to which he added Bangladeshi nationals.
The NIA has been probing the case since July 22, 2022. It filed a chargesheet against Tahir on January 6, 2023, under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
