LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) arrested a 24-year-old Bihar resident for his alleged links with Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and for collecting donations in the name of a madrasa and attempting to send the money to Pakistan for activities linked to jihad in India, officials said.The accused, identified as Mohammad Zafar, son of Mohammad Zaheer, a resident of Mirganj village under Rauta police station in Purnia district of Bihar, was arrested by the UP ATS on August 17.According to the ATS, intelligence inputs indicated that Zafar was collecting money from people in the name of a madrasa and transferring the funds to a Pakistan-based organisation with the purported objective of supporting jihad in India.The agency also received information that he was influenced by Maulana Masood Azhar, the chief of the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed, and was sharing his speeches and other material to allegedly incite people towards violent jihad.The ATS said its team verified the intelligence inputs and identified Zafar, who originally hails from Bihar and had previously lived in Meerut, where he studied at a madrasa.An analysis of his social media activity reportedly showed that he was sharing what the ATS described as provocative and jihadist speeches attributed to Masood Azhar and attempting to influence people towards violent jihad.Investigators also found material on his phone indicating his links with Pakistani jihadist WhatsApp groups, where conversations relating to jihad and collection of funds were allegedly found.According to the ATS, Zafar also used his Facebook account to post statements related to jihad and the concept of a caliphate while keeping his face covered.During questioning, Zafar told investigators that he had learnt about Jaish-e-Mohammed during his studies and that reading about jihad and the “martyrdom of mujahideen” influenced him.The ATS said he subsequently came under the influence of Masood Azhar and developed a desire to become a mujahid.According to the ATS, Zafar later joined a Jaish-e-Mohammed-linked jihadist group and came into contact with a Pakistani handler. He allegedly offered to assist in jihad, following which the handler provided him with details of a Pakistani bank account to which he attempted to transfer money.The transfer was reportedly unsuccessful. Zafar then allegedly sought a Binance account from the handler and subsequently came into contact with other Pakistani suspects. The ATS said he used Binance and attempted to transfer money in the form of USDT (Tether cryptocurrency) on several occasions.Following his arrest, the ATS registered Case No. 13/2026 against Zafar under Sections 152 and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and Sections 18 and 38 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.The ATS said incriminating material and communications were found during its investigation and that the accused admitted to the activities during interrogation.
