Gujarat ATS Arrests Five More in Jaish-e-Mohammed Terror Module Probe

Gujarat ATS has arrested five more suspects in its ongoing investigation into an alleged Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror module , intensifying a crackdown on what investigators claim was an attempt to establish an active network of the Pakistan-based banned terrorist outfit in the state.

The accused Bilal Abidbhai Shera, Mohammad Ayub Kadiwala, Mohammad Palanpuri alias Khali Ayub Sunsara, Shafia Rais Mukhti, and Mohammad Hasan Kardia were arrested from Khadiyal village in Siddhpur taluka of Patan district . According to ATS officials, their names emerged during the investigation of eight alleged JeM operatives arrested on July 3 from different parts of Gujarat and adjoining Madhya Pradesh.

The five were produced before Judicial Magistrate R. M. Bhatia at Kadi in Mehsana district, who remanded them to ATS custody until July 24 .

During the remand hearing, Public Prosecutor P. R. Dantani told the court that one of the accused had allegedly attempted to make a crude time bomb , although the experiment was reportedly unsuccessful. He said investigators are yet to recover the bomb-making materials and Urdu-language literature allegedly linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed , necessitating custodial interrogation.

The ATS is also probing where the materials were procured, how they were concealed, and how the accused obtained the alleged jihadi literature . Prosecutors further alleged that one of the previously arrested suspects, identified as Amin , supplied JeM-related material to the newly arrested accused, while another suspect allegedly had knowledge of bomb-making techniques.

The latest arrests are part of a broader counter-terrorism operation launched earlier this month after the ATS claimed to have uncovered an alleged Jaish-e-Mohammed module operating across Gujarat and neighbouring Madhya Pradesh. Authorities allege the group was attempting to establish an active terror network in Gujarat. The investigation is ongoing, and the allegations against the accused are yet to be tested before a court.