On February 17, the Delhi Police filed a chargesheet against eight individuals arrested in connection with the Al Qaeda Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) module case, including Dr Ishtiaq. The chargesheet was filed under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). In a joint operation involving Delhi, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh Police, 12 individuals were arrested in August of the previous year for their links to AQIS.
The accused individuals identified include Dr Ishtiaq Ahmed, Inamul Ansari, Shahbaz Ansari, Altaf Ansari, Mohammad Rizwan, Moti-ur-Rehman, Mufti Rehmatullah, Faizan Ahmed, Umar Farooq, Hasan Ansari, and Arshad Khan. Investigations are ongoing regarding one of the accused, who was arrested later.
AQIS Jharkhand training module case | Delhi Police filed a chargesheet in Patiala House Court against 8 accused.
Three accused have not been chargesheeted in this case. A total of 11 people were arrested initially in August 2024. These accused were arrested in a joint operation…
— ANI (@ANI) February 17, 2025
The court granted bail to three of the accused in the AQIS module case. However, the chargesheet was filed only against eight individuals: Dr. Ishtiaq Ahmed, Inamul Ansari, Shahbaz Ansari, Altaf Ansari, Mohammad Rizwan, Moti-ur-Rehman, Mufti Rehmatullah, and Faizan Ahmed. The remaining three accused—Umar Farooq, Hasan Ansari, and Arshad Khan—who were not included in the chargesheet, were granted bail by Additional Sessions Judge Dr Hardeep Kaur. The judge has scheduled the consideration of the chargesheet for February 24.
Six of the 12 accused were apprehended by the police in Bhiwadi, Rajasthan while undergoing weapon-handling training. The remaining individuals were detained in Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. On December 12, 2024, the Delhi High Court granted a 90-day extension to the Delhi Police to complete their investigation into the AQIS terror module case.
The investigation into the AQIS module, led by Dr. Ishtiaq, revealed a meticulously planned network aimed at training individuals for terror attacks in India. Dr. Ishtiaq, a radiologist from Ranchi, organized training camps in remote areas like Nakata forest in Jharkhand, where recruits were trained in weapon handling and suicide bombing techniques. The group’s ultimate goal was to establish an Islamic state in India. Dr Ishtiaq expanded the operations of the module to Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, with plans to form a suicide squad.
During the investigation, Delhi Police uncovered that the Al-Qaeda-inspired terror module intended to raise funds for jihad through the PM-Kisan Yojana (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi). According to a statement submitted to the city court, two of the arrested individuals were beneficiaries of the PM-Kisan scheme. They allegedly used the funds to purchase arms and support terrorist activities in India.
