Mumbai, March 4: The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Thursday arrested 21-year-old engineering student Ayan Sheikh for his alleged links to the Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and the proscribed global organisation Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Sheikh has been booked under the stringent Sections 38 (membership of a terrorist organisation) and 39 (support given to a terrorist organisation) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), along with Sections 152, 196, and 197 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), officials confirmed.
According to state agency sources, Sheikh is accused of engaging with online extremist propaganda and maintaining active contact with JeM sympathisers and ISIS handlers. His arrest followed coordinated searches on March 2 at Sheikh’s residence and at locations associated with two other youths in Kurla, Govandi, and Shivaji Nagar, during which electronic devices, including laptops and mobile phones, were seized for forensic examination. The recovered material reportedly provided investigators with a “digital roadmap” indicating deep-seated connections to these proscribed organisations.
Examination of Sheikh’s seized devices reportedly revealed multiple audio and video clips linked to Masood Azhar, the chief of JeM. Investigators said he was active on encrypted messaging platforms, including Telegram channels, where extremist content was circulated. The agency found several chats suggesting attempts to instigate terror recruitment. Sheikh allegedly shared radical material, attempted to recruit others, and was reportedly involved in funding extremist activities.
Sources further indicated that Sheikh attempted to influence two other youths, both engineering students and identified as close friends of the accused, to radicalise them by drawing them into Telegram groups containing Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and ISIS propaganda.
During coordinated raids in Govandi and Kurla, the ATS found that these two youths were primarily consuming extremist material shared by Sheikh but were not actively involved in any terror-related activities, officials said. ATS recorded the statements of both youths.
Sheikh was questioned for several hours, during which sources say he revealed suspected communications with overseas handlers and individuals associated with proscribed terror groups, including both JeM and ISIS. According to sources, the encrypted messaging platforms and Telegram channels contained multiple foreign nationals and alleged facilitators who are believed to be part of sleeper networks and recruitment cells linked to these organisations.
Officials noted that several youths and individuals from different Indian states were active members of these encrypted groups, with records indicating frequent exchanges of extremist content, guidance on radicalisation, and instructions potentially aimed at recruiting new members. Investigators are currently analysing these digital footprints to map the network of influence, identify individuals under radicalisation, and detect operational links to local sleeper cells. Relevant digital evidence and communication records have been shared with sister agencies across other states to coordinate a wider investigation and prevent potential recruitment locally.
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In addition to examining communications, the ATS is probing Sheikh’s financial transactions and digital trail, aiming to trace the funding and logistical channels used to support extremist activities. Sheikh will be produced before a special court in Mumbai on Friday, where the agency will seek police custody to conduct further interrogation, recover additional evidence, and identify the origin and distribution points of the radicalisation material.
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