Overview
- Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh ATS teams arrested eight people accused of building a local Jaish‑e‑Mohammed (JeM) network, with the operation carried out in coordinated multi‑district raids that officials said took place on Friday.
- Investigators say they seized 254 digital files, books by JeM leader Masood Azhar, Gujarati translations of jihadi material, letters seeking membership and about ₹3 lakh in alleged funding that was partly used to buy a car.
- The ATS alleges the suspects formed a group called Darul Islam Gujarat Jaish‑e‑Mohammed, recruited and radicalised people using translated material and encrypted apps, and kept contact with Pakistan‑based handlers identified as Abdullah and Mohammad Umar.
- On Saturday the Union Home Ministry designated 23 Pakistan and PoJK‑based individuals linked to JeM, LeT and affiliates under the UAPA, a step that centralises options to seize assets, embargo arms and pursue cross‑border facilitators.
- The actions use legal tools added in 2019 to the UAPA and new BNS provisions, and they signal likely NIA or central‑agency follow ups that aim to disrupt leadership, finance and drone‑based arms routes while increasing scrutiny of Gujarat’s border‑facing communities.