A 19-year-old dental student has been arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) for allegedly having links with an online module associated with the banned terror group ISIS, officials said on Monday.
The accused, identified as Haarish Ali, a resident of Saharanpur, was arrested from Moradabad on Sunday during an ongoing investigation into suspected ISIS-linked online activities across India.
According to officials, the second-year BDS student was allegedly in contact with ISIS handlers and sympathisers through social media platforms like Instagram and encrypted applications such as Session and Discord.
The ATS said intelligence inputs indicated that certain individuals in Uttar Pradesh and other parts of the country were operating online groups to spread ISIS ideology. These groups were allegedly aimed at promoting extremist views, recruiting individuals, and working towards establishing a Sharia-based system.
Investigators found that these online groups were being used to circulate propaganda material, extremist literature, and instructions related to the activities of the terror outfit.
Based on these inputs, a case was registered at the ATS police station in Lucknow under relevant sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
During the probe, officials discovered that the accused allegedly created multiple online groups using pseudonyms and virtual private networks (VPNs) to conceal identity while engaging in recruitment and propaganda activities.
Authorities also stated that the accused was running a group named “Al Ittihad Media Foundation” and was in touch with individuals suspected to be linked with ISIS networks both within India and abroad.
The ATS said further investigation is underway to identify other individuals involved in the network and to trace the full extent of the online module’s operations.
