Gujarat ATS arrests woman, key conspirator of Al-Qaeda terror module, from Bengaluru

Mangalore Today News Network

Ahmedabad, July 30, 2025: The Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) on Wednesday arrested a fifth accused, a woman from Bengaluru, for her alleged links to Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), a banned terror outfit. Minister of state for Home Harsh Sanghavi told reporters that the woman accused is "highly radicalised and ran an online terror module".

ATS officials said that the woman arrested from Bengaluru has been identified as Shama Parveen. They said that her cell phone has revealed that she was in touch with several Pakistani officials. She is the fifth such accused to have been arrested by the ATS.

Earlier, the ATS had arrested Md Faiq, a resident of Meer Madari Galli, Faraskhana, Delhi; Md Fardeen, a resident of Gulmohar Tenements, Fatehwadi, Ahmedabad; Sefullah Kureshi, resident of Khatakiwada, near BhoiWada, Vinayak Cinemas and Modasa; and Zeeshan Ali, a resident of Chhajarsi Colony, Sector 63, Noida.

ATS alleged that these individuals "worked together on Instagram to disseminate inflammatory and provocative content, including jihadi propaganda material, violent videos... In particular, the aim is to call for violence by targeting the institutions of Indian democratic governance."

They have been booked under sections 13, 18, 38, 39 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and sections 113, 152, 196, 61 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023.

These accounts have been identified as ’sharyat-ya-shahadat," f4rdeen_03, mujahideen.3 and seffulah_muja_hid313, among others. ATS said that through these accounts, videos of banned terrorist outfit Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) were being shared.

"They aimed to propagate AQIS’ ideology under the name ’Ghazwa-e-Hind’, incite Indian Muslims to commit violence or terrorists acts against non-believers, encourage armed rebellion against the democractically elected government of India, and promote the establishment of an Islamic Sharia-based Caliphate in India and has an ideology to spread discontent against India," the ATS said in a statement.

From one of the suspects, Fardeen Shaikh, the ATS officials allegedly found AQIS literature promoting jihad against India for its "Operation Sindoor." Another accused, Md Faiq, was allegedly found to be collaborating with a Pakistani Instagram user- M Salauddin Siddiqui 1360- to target the Indian government.