Mumbai: The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Tuesday evening conducted a search at the residence of a teacher, identified as Ibrahim Abidi, in the Kausa area of Mumbra, Thane district, over alleged links with the banned terror outfit Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).
Abidi, who resides in a rented apartment at Ifayat Housing Society in Mumbra, was associated with a local madrassa and also taught Urdu at a mosque in Kurla every Sunday. He had been under surveillance for suspected online communication with extremist networks.
During the operation, ATS seized Abidi’s mobile phone and the hard disk of his computer for forensic examination. He has been detained for questioning, though no arrests have been made so far, officials confirmed. “We have recovered digital material and are verifying his online activity and contacts. The contents will be examined before deciding the next course of action,” a senior ATS officer said.
Sources said Abidi was suspected of attempting to influence children toward extremist ideologies. ATS teams also conducted a search at a premises linked to his first wife in Kurla, who is also being questioned.
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Following the recent car blast in Delhi, central and state security agencies have intensified surveillance on individuals suspected of being sympathizers or associates of banned organizations. The raids are part of an ongoing statewide operation launched by the Maharashtra ATS to trace individuals maintaining contact with radical networks or consuming extremist online content.
Searches In Padgha & Bhiwandi
Apart from Mumbra, ATS teams also carried out coordinated searches in Padgha and Bhiwandi, focusing on tracing communication and financial networks of individuals suspected of links with radical elements. Officials said the exercise is being conducted in coordination with central intelligence agencies as part of a preventive security drive across the state.
Najbin Abadi, wife of Ibrahim Abadi, while speaking to the media after the raids said, "Yesterday, the police came to our house and conducted a search for three hours. They didn’t find anything but took the hard disk of the computer and the phones of me, my husband, and our children."
"We have no connection with Al-Qaida or any terrorist activities. We are simple, innocent people, and we only share the teachings of Allah and the Prophet with others," she added.
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