New Delhi: Between 2021 and 2026, the global digital landscape witnessed a sharp rise in the exploitation of encrypted messaging platforms-most notably Telegram-by transnational extremist networks and illicit actors. From a conservative national security and sovereign defence perspective, the proliferation of unmonitored communication channels presents a direct challenge to law and order, state sovereignty, and public safety.
During this period, radical groups leveraged Telegram’s end-to-end encryption, massive group capacities, and minimal content moderation to recruit followers, fund operations via cryptocurrency, and coordinate violent attacks away from traditional law enforcement oversight. This era highlights the urgent need to balance digital privacy against the fundamental obligation of sovereign nations to protect their citizens, secure national borders, and hold tech platforms accountable when their architecture enables lawlessness and national security threats.
Recently, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) initiated a criminal case against Telegram founder Pavel Durov for facilitating terrorist activities on his platform. Following this move, Russia’s financial monitoring agency, Rosfinmonitoring, officially added Durov to its registry of terrorists and extremists, prompting state authorities to place him on a national wanted list. Simultaneously, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner launched strict legal enforcement actions against Telegram, citing the platform’s failure to provide adequate transparency and cooperation regarding the removal of violent, pro-terrorist content.
These rapid, multi-jurisdictional enforcement actions underscore a growing, decisive stance among sovereign states determined to hold giant tech platforms accountable. From a national security and conservative law-and-order standpoint, modern communication tools cannot be allowed to operate as unregulated safe havens for violent extremists, criminal syndicates, and subversives who exploit digital privacy to undermine border integrity, public safety, and rule of law.
Highlighting 16 critical incidents of Telegram-enabled terrorism between 2021 and 2026, this report exposes how unregulated digital platforms directly threaten national security.
NIA Files Chargesheet Against ISIS Recruiter Shafi Armar and Three Operatives
On July 18, 2026, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) demonstrated decisive state action against cross-border Islamic terrorism by filing a comprehensive chargesheet in a special Mumbai court against Shafi Armar, also known as Yusuf-al-Hindi. Operating out of Bhatkal, Karnataka, as a prime ISIS recruiter, Armar was charged alongside key co-conspirators Rizwan Ahmad, Mohsin Ibrahim Syed, and Ayaz Mohammad under stringent provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Investigation records confirm that between July and December 2015, this radical network actively executed a subversion plot targeting vulnerable youths in Malwani, Mumbai, successfully facilitating Ayaz’s illegal transit to Iraq via Afghanistan. Driven by radical SIMI and Indian Mujahideen connections, Rizwan raised operational funds in Chennai, while Armar orchestrated online recruitment using compromised digital platforms and covert messaging channels to evade law enforcement.
STF Apprehends Extremist Mohammad Salahuddin in Uttarakhand
Demonstrating strict law enforcement oversight to preserve public order, the Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) arrested radical operative Mohammad Salahuddin in Udham Singh Nagar on June 17, 2026. Prior intelligence operations established that Salahuddin actively disseminated anti-national propaganda and extremist material across platforms including Instagram, Telegram, and Signal to incite radical violence among local youths. Confirming the threat of foreign-backed subversion, Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Singh revealed that the suspect was operating under direct instructions from Pakistan-based handlers and maintained suspicious logistics networks extending to Malaysia.
MP ATS Dismantles Sharia Law Radical Network in Bhopal
Acting firmly against internal security threats and anti-constitutional subversion, the Madhya Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) raided a hideout in Qazi Camp, Bhopal, on June 14, 2026, capturing radicalised operative Mohammad Faraz, alias Khalid Saifullah. Interrogations exposed a long-term plan formulated alongside associate Naim Abdullah to undermine national sovereignty and forcibly impose Sharia law across Bharat by 2047. Positioned as a local proxy for Pakistani handlers tasked with radicalising youth, Faraz exploited encrypted messaging groups over a four-year period to spread violent extremist propaganda, prompting the ATS to launch extensive forensic and financial audits into his foreign funding channels and subversive digital communications.
Radical Operative Suhail Detained for Promoting Religious Fanaticism in Bijnor
Reinforcing national security protocols against domestic radicalisation, Uttar Pradesh Police apprehended terror suspect Suhail in Bijnor on April 28, 2026. As an active accomplice of previously detained terror suspect Aqib, Suhail exploited encrypted online channels to amplify inflammatory, religiously extremist materials throughout the Jalpur region. Investigations confirm that Suhail deliberately targeted impressionable youths through these digital networks, attempting to manipulate them into executing anti-national activities and joining violent extremist networks.
UP ATS Neutralises Foreign-Backed Terror Cell in Lucknow
Executing a high-stakes counter-terrorism Operation, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested four radicalised operatives—led by Saqib, alias Devil, and Arbab—in Lucknow on April 3, 2026, dismantling a dangerous sabotage plot directed by handlers in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Operating covertly through encrypted messaging apps and Instagram, the group aligned itself with violent extremist ideologies such as Ghazwa-e-Hind and praised dead terrorists like Osama bin Laden. The cell carried out arson and intelligence gathering against critical national infrastructure—including railway assets, signal boxes, and institutional vehicles—transmitting proof to their foreign handlers in exchange for illicit financial payouts via QR codes, leading to the recovery of incendiary chemicals, intelligence devices, subversive pamphlets, and government identification documents.
Engineering Student Ayan Shaikh Arrested in Mumbai for Circulating JeM and ISIS Online Propaganda
On March 2, 2026, Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) executed a decisive anti-terror crackdown in Kurla, Mumbai, arresting engineering student Ayan Shaikh under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for amplifying dangerous jihadi propaganda. During targeted raids, authorities confiscated a laptop, mobile devices, and inflammatory audio-visual materials featuring radicalised terrorist figures including Masood Azhar. Investigative records confirm that Shaikh exploited Telegram and other encrypted communication channels to maintain direct contact with foreign terror handlers, actively seeking to radicalise local youth, build subversive local networks, and mobilise funding for prohibited extremist outfits like Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and ISIS.
Red Fort Attack Investigation Exposes JeM Terror Plot Conducted by Dr Umar Mohammad via Telegram
Following the catastrophic November 10, 2025 car explosion near Delhi’s historic Red Fort, joint security agencies exposed a sinister terror conspiracy orchestrated by key suspect Dr. Umar Mohammad and his radicalised associates. Investigative findings revealed that the perpetrators maintained active digital channels with Pakistan-backed Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) handlers, leveraging Telegram’s unmonitored architecture to coordinate the suicide bombing plot. This alarming incident underscores the critical national security imperative to strictly regulate encrypted platforms, which violent extremists and foreign-backed terrorists routinely exploit as digital safe havens to undermine public safety and wage war against the state.
Al-Qaeda Operatives Aman Siraj Malik, Abdul Shakoor Ali Shaikh, and Shafanwaz Abu Shahid Sentenced to Life Imprisonment in Rajkot
Delivering a stern judicial warning against anti-national subversion, a sessions court in Rajkot, Gujarat, sentenced three West Bengal operatives-Aman Siraj Malik, Abdul Shakoor Ali Shaikh, and Shafanwaz Abu Shahid-to life imprisonment on October 1, 2025, for treason and terrorist activities against the Indian state. Originally apprehended by Gujarat ATS in July and August 2023 while working under the guise of fake jewellery artisans, the trio operated under direct command from Bangladesh-based Al-Qaeda handlers via Telegram and WhatsApp. Authorities seized firearms, live ammunition, and violent extremist literature from the convicts, who utilised encrypted messaging to spread anti-national jihadi propaganda and recruit impressionable individuals for subversion.
ISIS Terrorist Rizwan Ali Apprehended by Delhi Police Special Cell Ahead of Independence Day
Executing a high-stakes counter-terrorism operation ahead of Independence Day celebrations, the Delhi Police Special Cell apprehended radicalised ISIS operative Rizwan Ali in Daryaganj on August 22, 2024. Active since 2016 following his association with radical outfits in Shaheen Bagh, Ali teamed up with associate Shahnawaz to engage with Syria-operated Telegram channels managed by an ISIS handler known as ‘Jamal.’ The radicalised duo constructed a metal pipe Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and conducted trial detonations along the Yamuna riverfront, while utilising fraudulent financial channels-including bank accounts established through associate marriages-to sustain their terror operations before law enforcement neutralised the threat.
Cyber Terrorist Jaseem Shahnawaz Ansari Arrested in Gujarat for DDoS Attacks on Critical Government Infrastructure
Protecting sovereign digital boundaries against cyber-warfare, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad arrested 18-year-old Jaseem Shahnawaz Ansari in Kheda district on May 21, 2025, for orchestrating over 50 malicious cyberattacks against strategic Indian government web portals. Ansari, alongside a network of radicalised youths, established an illicit Telegram group named “AnonSec,” leveraging automated tools from GitHub and Termux to execute Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks targeting vital defence, civil aviation, municipal development, and national banking infrastructure to sabotage state operations.
Al-Qaeda Recruiter Akhtar Hussain Laskar Detained in Bengaluru for Running Subversive Telegram Networks
Intercepting cross-border radicalisation networks threatening internal security, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Assam native Akhtar Hussain Laskar and his accomplice in Bengaluru on August 30, 2022, for active involvement in Al-Qaeda propaganda operations. Laskar managed covert Telegram channels titled ‘Eagle of Khorasan’ and ‘Hinder Eagle,’ disseminating anti-India disinformation regarding Kashmir to incite religious fanaticism among local youth and facilitate their transit to terror training facilities across Afghanistan and Jammu & Kashmir.
High-Tech JeM Operative Mohammad Nadeem Arrested in Saharanpur Over Assassination and Fidaayin Plot
In a major law enforcement triumph against state-sponsored foreign terrorism, the Uttar Pradesh ATS and STF apprehended high-tech Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) operative Mohammad Nadeem in Saharanpur on August 12, 2022. Operating covertly across Telegram, WhatsApp, IMO, and custom-coded applications to communicate with Pakistani terror handlers, Nadeem was assigned specific high-value assassination targets and tasked with training 100 fidaayin (suicide) bombers before swift police intervention dismantled his cell.
JeM Radical Habibul Islam Alias Saifullah Apprehended in Kanpur with Violent Jihadi Media
Demonstrating zero tolerance toward domestic extremism, the Uttar Pradesh ATS arrested 19-year-old Jaish-e-Mohammed operative Habibul Islam, alias Saifullah, in Kanpur on August 14, 2022. Forensic extraction of Saifullah’s digital devices uncovered over 100 violent propaganda videos—including archival footage of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks—which he systematically circulated through encrypted Telegram channels connected to Pakistani extremist networks with the explicit objective of inciting violent jihad and overthrowing constitutional authority.
ISIS Operative and AIMIM Member Sabauddin Azmi Arrested in Azamgarh for Bomb-Making Conspiracy
Neutralising a severe domestic security threat, the Uttar Pradesh ATS arrested ISIS terrorist and AIMIM member Sabauddin Azmi in Azamgarh on August 9, 2022, recovering .315 bore ammunition, electrical wiring, and IED manufacturing components from his possession. Operating under multiple aliases across the Telegram channel ‘Al-Square Media,’ Azmi maintained direct operational communications with ISIS handlers in Syria and Pakistan, undergoing online instruction to fabricate improvised explosive devices and recruit local youth for violent jihadi attacks.
Illegal Bangladeshi National Talha Talukdar Bin Farooq Arrested in Deoband for Anti-National Activities
Reinforcing border integrity and law enforcement vigilance, the Uttar Pradesh ATS arrested Bangladeshi national Talha Talukdar Bin Farooq in Deoband, Saharanpur, on April 29, 2022, where he was residing illegally under forged Indian identity documentation. Interrogation revealed that Farooq relied on Telegram channel links provided by his associate Abdullah—utilising Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and anonymised browsing—to consume and disseminate subversive jihadi materials aimed at compromising national security.
ISIS Women Operatives Miza Siddique and Shifa Harris Arrested by NIA in Kannur Recruitment Ring
Exposing multi-platform terror recruitment networks operating within domestic borders, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested ISIS operatives Miza Siddique and Shifa Harris in Kannur, Kerala, on August 17, 2021. Directed by ISIS handler Mohammad Amin, the accused operated covert propaganda channels across Telegram, Hoop, and Instagram to radicalise impressionable youth, actively attempting to recruit local individuals for ISIS operations in conflict zones following Miza’s return from Syria.
These documented incidents expose a critical, persistent threat to national sovereignty: the systemic exploitation of encrypted, under-moderated digital platforms by transnational extremist networks and foreign-backed handlers. When digital channels operate without accountability, they become safe havens for violent radicalisation, anti-national sabotage, and plots against public safety and national infrastructure. Protecting citizens and maintaining the rule of law requires zero tolerance for digital safe havens. Sovereign nations must enforce strict security oversight and demand full accountability from tech platforms to safeguard border integrity, public order, and the state.
