33-year-old Mohammad Hasan Abu Sarmad Akhtar has been arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on suspicion of having ties to the proscribed terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). He has been accused of trying to stir up communal conflict by disseminating extremist material online. After receiving a tip, the ATS’s Kalachowki team nabbed him near Mahim Metro station in Mumbai.
The ATS stated that Akhtar used social media to spread radical and anti-national content while working as a Rapido rider and selling perfumes. He has been renting an apartment for the previous three to three and a half years.
Mumbai, Maharashtra: Maharashtra ATS arrests a 33-year-old man from Mahim for alleged links with Jaish-e-Mohammed. Investigators reportedly found inflammatory posts, messages supporting jihad and audio clips of Masood Azhar on his mobile phone. His alleged links with Pakistani intelligence operatives are also being investigated. (Visuals from his residence)
— IANS (@ians_india) October 24, 2026
The preliminary investigations indicated that he had direct communication with Pakistani intelligence operatives (PIOs). According to the probe, he ran a Telegram channel called “Indian Muslim” where he posted audio clips of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Muhammad Masood Azhar Alvi, infamously known as Masood Azhar in relation to the disputed structure at Ayodhya.
Additionally, the accused was an active subscriber to IBN-e-Qasim, an extremist Telegram channel sponsored by Pakistan. He frequently made extremist remarks on X and Instagram, encouraging violence and calling for Jihad with phrases like “Ab jihad ka zamana agya hai” (It’s time for Jihad).
Akhtar also commented on a report about a security lapse in Mumbai before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, which read, “Kuch karana tha Indira Gandhi ki tarah PM Modi ko bhi bhai log (Something like Indira Gandhi should have been done to PM Modi),” openly referring to an assassination.
Akhtar’s Redmi Note 14 Pro smartphone was confiscated by authorities, who also obtained 39 screenshots of his radical social media posts for their inquiry. Section 196(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been invoked against him for inciting animosity between different religious groups.
Investigators are looking into Akhtar’s online activities and contacts to ascertain the nature and scope of his links with the terrorist group, his movements, as well as whether more people are involved with him. The case is currently under investigation.
