Gujarat ATS Foils ISIS Module in Porbandar; 4 Arrested

The Gujarat Anti-Terrorists Squad (ATS) on Saturday claimed to have dismantled a major terror module with the arrest of four persons, including a woman, from the coastal town of Porbandar. They are suspected to have links with international terror outfit the Islamic State, Khorasan Province, an affiliate of the Islamic State.

Following reliable inputs, a special team of the ATS had been keeping a watch for the past few days for special operations in Porbandar and surrounding areas.

“The ATS team was led by Deputy Inspector-General of Police Dipen Bhadran, who along with other officials, had been camping in Porbandar,” an official said.

Links to ISIS and Escape Plans

The four arrested individuals include a woman named Sumera from Surat, the police said, adding that the ATS is looking for another person involved with the IS module who is at large. Officials said these suspects were active members of the IS module with plans to abscond and officially join the terror group.

For the past year or so, they had been engaging in regular communication and were reportedly radicalised by their Pakistani handlers, the ATS official said. The crackdown on the IS module began on Friday under the leadership of DIG Deepan Bhadran and SP Sunil Joshi and the arrests were announced on Saturday.

The apprehended suspects had been under the surveillance of the ATS for an extended period, during which their activities were meticulously documented and tracked.

In 2017, the Gujarat ATS had arrested two suspected IS terrorists, reportedly brothers, who were purportedly preparing to launch a series of bombings at various religious sites across the state.