The Andhra Pradesh Police have booked a woman from Hyderabad’s Chanchalhuda on Tuesday in an alleged terror module case. The 30 year old woman was held by the State Counter Intelligence team was for later taken for questioning and thereby transferred to Andhra Pradesh for further investigations.
According to officials, her arrest comes after the arrest of three people, including Mohammad Rehmatulla Sharif of Wynchipet, Mohammad Danish of Bhavanipuram, and Mirza Sohail Baig of Mahanthipuram, who were arrested by police from Andhra Pradesh. The police suspect that these people were engaged in planning sabotage at different places, but it is not clear what their targets were.
The case, officials said, is part of a larger operation carried out under the State Counter Intelligence wing, which, in coordination with police in the city, had been monitoring online activity related to extremist content. Following specific intelligence inputs and sustained surveillance, police decided to arrest the three in Vijayawada for allegedly promoting anti-national ideology on social media sites and having links with terror networks.
The arrested persons, who have been identified as Sharif (23), Baig (23), and Danish (27), have been produced before a local court that remanded them to judicial custody till April 6.
Police officials have said that a search operation was conducted at Sharif’s residence in Wynchipet, where police officials seized electronic items, storage media, and some literature that are believed to have a connection with extremist ideology.
In his interrogation, it is claimed that Sharif told authorities he was radicalized through content he viewed on social media, as well as from extremist ideologues who operated online. It is also believed that Sharif was in contact with a foreign handler who encouraged him to take up jihadist activities, although this is yet to be verified.
NTR District Incharge Commissioner of Police Sarvashresth Tripathi said that the three arrested individuals were a part of a “closed network” that operated on social media platforms such as Instagram and Telegram. This network, the police claim, is a “restricted digital space” that is suspected of having connections with terrorist organisations such as ISIS and Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent.
Preliminary inquiry has also revealed that the group may have had connections with individuals in various States, which indicates the possibility of a network among multiple States. The investigators have also identified the suspected involvement of at least 10 other individuals who are believed to be linked with the efforts to promote a so-called “Khilafat” movement in India.
Further information revealed that the scope of the network being investigated may also span up to around 40 members; however, the actual scope and capability of the organization remain to be determined. Several teams are presently engaged in tracing the connections and determining the extent of coordination among the suspects.
The role of the woman from Hyderabad is being looked at closely, and her interrogation is expected to yield further leads on the case.
The investigation is still on, and further developments are expected as the investigation continues into the digital trail, financial connections, and possible external connections of the individuals involved.
