Ranchi: Shocking details have surfaced after a joint team of Delhi police, Special Task Force (STF) and Anti Terror Squad (ATS) Jharkhand raided multiple locations across separate district of the state detaining over half a dozen suspected sleeper cell agents of the dreaded Al-Qaeda Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).
The most significant catch during the raids conducted on 16 locations across separate district of Jharkhand was reported to be Dr. Ishtiyaq Ahmad, a resident of Jamshedpur currently employed as a radiologist in Ranchi’s Medica hospital.
Dr. Ishtiyaq is alleged to be the key man behind running the Jharkhand module of AQIS under which a number of other sleeper cell agents were operating. A few of them were also sent by Ahmad to undergo training at Bhiwadi of Rajasthan, around 80 kilometers from the national capital New Delhi.
Ishtiyaq, an alumni of Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), the largest state own medical college of Jharkhand was residing at Al Hasan residency in Ranchi. He also owns a clinic in Hazaribagh where he reportedly groomed a few individuals as sleeper cell agents.
One of such key suspected agent residing in Hazaribagh, Faizan was too apprehended by the agencies and taken to the capital Ranchi. He was subsequently taken to New Delhi on transit remand. Faizan is reported to be a close aide of Ishtiyaq and the latter was visiting Faizan on regular intervals.
Other than Faizan, eight more suspected sleeper cell agents including Mufti Rahamatullah, who teaches in a local Madrasa at Chanho was detained during the raids. In all the joint team raided six locations in Chanho and detained four suspects while two others were found missing from their residence. The team has also seized weapons and other incriminating documents during the search operation.
Briefing the media about the raids, AV Homkar, IG Operation said that “On the basis of inputs regarding suspicious movement of a few individuals, today simultaneous raids are being done by joint teams of Jharkhand ATS, STF, Ranchi Police and Delhi Police at 16 locations in different districts including Ranchi, Hazaribagh and Lohardaga. So far, 8 suspects have been detained and are being questioned. In the search operation, a few illegal weapons, laptop, mobile phone sand suspicious documents have been recovered. All these suspects are being questioned, suspicious documents are being verified.”
#WATCH | Al Qaeda Module case: Amol Vinukant Homkar, IG Operations, Jharkhand Police says, “On the basis of inputs regarding suspicious movement of a few individuals, today simultaneous raids are being dony by joint teams of Jharkhand ATS, STF, Ranchi Police and Delhi Police at… pic.twitter.com/kHLRs4xiaH
— ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2024
Other than Jharkhand, six people who were undergoing training in Bhiwadi of Rajasthan are also detained and later arrested by a joint team of police. The arrested individuals are reported to be residents of Jharkhand while a few other suspects were also taken in the custody. The joint team here seized an AK-47, hand grenades and other materials.
AQIS Jharkhand module
All the arrested individuals are suspected to be associated with Dr. Ishtiyaq who was heading the Jharkhand module of AQIS initially setup by notorious Abdul Rehman Katki. Prior to his arrest in 2016, Katki had allegedly setup a core group of the AQIS with over a dozen people as its key members.
Katki had also established a recruitment cell for the outfit which was being run by Jeeshan Ali, Saiyad Arshiyan, Abu sufiyan and Kalimuddin, all residents of Jharkhand. While the other three were arrested by the agencies, Abu Sufiyan is still reported to be on the run.
As per the inputs received, those arrested were indulged in furthering the activities of AQIS which aimed to establish a Khilafat in India. Notably the dreaded terror outfit is reportedly augmenting its presence in India, Pakistan, Myanmar and Bangladesh where it is operating in close association with Ansar-ul-Bangla team.
Notably, this is not the first time that the security agencies have arrested individuals linked with terror activities from Jharkhand and the state is suspected to have presence of sleeper cell agents at separate pockets in Jamshedpur, Hazaribagh, Giridih, Lohardaga, Hazaribagh and Ranchi.
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