Saharanpur: The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested a 19-year-old dentistry student for allegedly maintaining links with an online module of the banned terror organisation ISIS, officials said on Monday.
The accused, Haarish Ali, a resident of Saharanpur district, was apprehended in Moradabad on Sunday as part of an ongoing investigation into ISIS-linked online networks operating across India, according to an official statement.
Online network and radicalisation efforts
A second-year BDS student, he is suspected of being in contact with ISIS handlers and sympathisers through social media platforms such as Instagram, as well as encrypted applications like Session and Discord.
The ATS said intelligence inputs had revealed that certain individuals in Uttar Pradesh and other regions were forming online groups to spread ISIS ideology, with the aim of establishing a Sharia-based caliphate and recruiting members to strengthen the outfit’s presence in India. These groups were allegedly used to circulate propaganda, extremist content and operational instructions.
Probe, case registration and further findings
Following these inputs, a case was registered at the ATS police station in Lucknow under relevant provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
During the probe, officials found that the accused had allegedly created multiple online groups using pseudonyms and virtual private networks (VPNs) to recruit individuals and disseminate ISIS propaganda. He is also accused of running a separate group called “Al Ittihad Media Foundation” and maintaining links with individuals connected to ISIS networks both within India and abroad, officials added.
