The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) conducted coordinated search operations in Ahilyanagar and Yavatmal districts early on Sunday morning, acting on specific intelligence inputs regarding suspected extremist activity and potential radicalisation networks, officials said.
According to officials, ATS teams carried out searches at 12 locations in Ahilyanagar district.During the operation, around Rs 74 lakh in cash and sharp-edged weapons, including swords and knives, were seized. A case was registered at Bhingar Camp Police Station against two suspects for possession of sharp weapons. Several documents, mobile phones, electronic devices, and CCTV equipment were also taken into custody for forensic and technical scrutiny.
In Yavatmal district, around 14 suspects from the Pusad and Umarkhed areas were brought in for sustained questioning.Sources said the probe is focused on their online activities, with investigators examining communication links, digital devices and documents. Officials added the material is being analysed for possible extremist propaganda or radical content, anti-establishment messaging, unlawful activities, financial trails, and links with individuals already under surveillance for suspicious online messaging or organisational contact.
Officials emphasised that the operation followed specific intelligence suggesting that youths aged 18 to 27 in parts of the state had been influenced by extremist elements. They were reportedly drawn towards radical organisations through online propaganda, closed messaging groups, and local facilitators, and were allegedly engaged in suspicious activities.
Sources said that a few months ago, during an investigation into online anti-national propaganda, security agencies had identified the alleged movement of a self-radicalised group of youths in Ahilyanagar and Yavatmal and began tracking their activities. The intelligence was shared with the ATS, its sister agency, which then intensified surveillance and monitoring of the group.
Investigation reveal that the identified individuals were initially associated with an religious welfare organisation,believing its ideology partially aligned with their thinking. Though partially radicalised, the youths were well-educated, with some employed in respectable jobs. When the organisation allegedly failed to meet their objectives, they gradually distanced themselves and gravitated towards a self-radicalised wing.
Within this online social network, the youths began interacting with each other and attracting individuals with similar mindsets. Discussions that initially focused on lectures by Islamic scholars reportedly shifted to alleged radical content, alleged anti-establishment sentiments, opposition to the central government, communal unrest, and alleged atrocities against Muslim over the past few months. Investigators said these conversations allegedly escalated to planning serious crimes, including potential lone-wolf attacks, highlighting the risk of larger unlawful activities.
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Howerver authorities described the operation as a preventive, intelligence-driven intervention, adding that no arrests had been made so far and the further action would depend on the outcome of questioning and the forensic and technical examination of seized material.
Agency emphasised that the group had been monitored carefully due to its potential to radicalise other youths in the region. “The aim is to intervene before any violent act occurs,” said a senior official familiar with the probe, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Through online propaganda and local facilitators, vulnerable youth were being targeted. This operation aims to prevent escalation.”
Investigators are continuing to analyse communication logs, social media interactions, and other digital footprints to map the network fully. The ATS is coordinating with other state and central agencies to identify facilitators, financial backers, and possible links to broader extremist outfits, officials said.
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