The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has chargesheeted five persons in a case related to the online radicalisation of youth by the banned terror outfit Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) in Gujarat.
The accused , Mohammad Fardeen, Kureshi Sefulla, Mohammad Faique, Zeeshan Ali and Shama Parveen, have been booked under various provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UA(P) Act), Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Arms Act.
According to the NIA, the accused used social media platforms to propagate anti-India and extremist ideologies of AQIS by sharing provocative videos, audios and images. The agency found that they incited armed revolt against the democratically elected Indian government and advocated the establishment of a Caliphate based on Sharia law, while also promoting ideologies of other proscribed terror organisations to radicalise vulnerable youth.
The case (RC-02/2025/NIA/AMD) was taken over from the Gujarat ATS, which had seized incriminating digital and documentary evidence, along with a semi-automatic pistol, cartridges and a sword from two of the accused. Further investigation led to the tracing of digital footprints and recovery of additional incriminating material.
NIA identified Mohammad Faique, a resident of Old Delhi, as a key conspirator who circulated radical content related to jihad, Ghazwa-e-Hind and violence through Instagram and dedicated groups. Sheikh Mohammad Fardeen (Ahmedabad), Kureshi Sefulla (Modasa, Gujarat) and Zeeshan Ali (Noida, Uttar Pradesh) were found actively collaborating to promote extremist content supporting banned terror outfits.
Shama Parveen of Bengaluru was found to have shared AQIS videos online and remained in contact with a Pakistani national, discussing banned literature and extremist activities. Her mobile phone contained radical books, videos and Pakistani contact numbers.
Further investigation under Section 193(9) of the BNSS is ongoing.
