On Sunday, 16th August, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) arrested a 24-year-old Bihar resident for his links with Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and accused him of collecting donations in the name of a madrasa and trying to send the money to Pakistan for jihadist activities in India.
The accused has been identified as Mohammad Zafar, a resident of Mirganj village under Rauta police station in Purnia district, Bihar. The agency said the arrest followed intelligence inputs about a person collecting donations in the name of a madrasa and attempting to transfer the money to a Pakistan-based terrorist organisation.
Meerut, Uttar Pradesh: UP ATS arrested Bihar native Mohammad Zafar in Hapur over alleged links with Jaish-e-Mohammed. Officials said he collected mosque construction donations and diverted funds to the outfit. His mobile reportedly contained Pakistan-based anti-India groups.… pic.twitter.com/VVl3SuTuo9
— IANS (@ians_india) August 18, 2026
ATS says Masood Azhar influenced Zafar
According to a press note issued by the UP ATS on Monday, 17th August, investigators examined Zafar’s social media activity after receiving the intelligence input. The agency said that he had been sharing inflammatory and jihadist speeches of JeM chief Masood Azhar and attempting to influence people towards violent jihad.
Uttar Pradesh ATS has arrested Mohammad Zafar from Purnia, Bihar. According to ATS, Zafar collected donations in the name of madrasas and sent money to Pakistan. He is also accused of using Jaish-e-Mohammed material linked to Masood Azhar to motivate people towards jihad. The… pic.twitter.com/wGyXDnZE2M
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) August 17, 2026
Zafar had earlier studied at a madrasa in Meerut. During questioning, he told ATS officials that he first learned about JeM while studying there. The agency said he claimed that reading material about jihad and the “martyrdom” of militants influenced him and that he wanted to become a “mujahid” under Masood Azhar’s influence.
The ATS also said that several Pakistan-based jihadist WhatsApp groups were found on Zafar’s mobile phone. According to the agency, discussions in these groups included jihad and fundraising.
Investigators further informed that Zafar used his Facebook account to make statements about jihad and “khilafat” while keeping his face covered. The ATS said he later joined a JeM jihadist group and established contact with a Pakistan-based handler, to whom he offered assistance in jihad-related activities.
Pakistan funding trail through cryptocurrency
According to the ATS, the Pakistan-based handler provided Zafar with details of a Pakistani bank account to which he attempted to send money. The transaction, however, was unsuccessful.
The agency said Zafar subsequently asked the handler for a Binance account. After establishing contact with other suspected Pakistani operatives, he transferred money several times in USDT, a cryptocurrency. The ATS said Zafar admitted to the offences during interrogation. The agency is now investigating his contacts, financial transactions and possible links with other members of the network.
A case has been registered against Zafar under Sections 152 and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and Sections 18 and 38 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967. He was produced before a Lucknow court for further legal proceedings.
Similar Pakistan-linked terror cases in recent months
The arrest comes amid a series of counter-terror operations by security agencies in different parts of the country involving Pakistan-linked terror networks.
OpIndia earlier reported in July that the Assam Police Special Task Force arrested three terrorists linked to the Pakistan-based Shahzad Bhatti Network. The arrests were made on 24th July in coordinated operations in Dhubri, Chirang and Barpeta districts following intelligence inputs about the network’s activities in Assam. The accused were identified as Akramul Islam, Aminur Rahman and Abdul Hussain.
According to the Assam STF, the network was involved in activities including recruitment, online radicalisation, reconnaissance, logistics, espionage, illegal procurement of weapons and the establishment of sleeper cells. Investigators also said that Pakistan-based handlers used encrypted communication channels to coordinate activities. Five mobile phones, seven SIM cards, Aadhaar cards, bank passbooks, debit cards and other documents were recovered during the operation.
The operation followed an earlier investigation in Nalbari, where an operative of the network was arrested in May. Assam Police said further investigation was underway to identify other members and understand the network’s activities in the Northeast.
Gujarat ATS arrests eight JeM operatives
Earlier in July, the Gujarat ATS arrested eight people from Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh over their links with JeM. The arrests were made on 2nd July during coordinated operations, with seven suspects arrested from Gujarat and one from Dewas in Madhya Pradesh.
The ATS said that the group had been working for around six months to establish an active JeM network in Gujarat. Investigators said the suspects were contacting people through different platforms, attempting to spread JeM‘s ideology and recruit or radicalise people.
According to the ATS, the suspects were also in contact with Pakistani handlers and were working to translate JeM literature into Gujarati and spread it. Security agencies recovered 254 pieces of literature, including material carrying the JeM flag, during the operation. The accused were booked under several provisions of the UAPA and BNS, including sections dealing with unlawful activities, raising funds for terrorist acts, conspiracy, membership of a terrorist organisation and providing support to such an organisation.
Delhi Police busts ISI-linked terror module
In another major counter-terror operation, the Delhi Police Special Cell arrested nine suspected terrorists in May over links with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and a network associated with fugitive underworld figure Dawood Ibrahim.
According to investigators, the suspects were planning attacks on critical installations and security personnel in Delhi, Mumbai and other parts of the country. Officials said the accused came from different states, including Delhi, Maharashtra and Punjab, while some were foreign nationals. Weapons and ammunition were also recovered during the operation.
Investigators were examining whether the group had received financial, logistical or operational support from handlers outside India. The probe was also focused on identifying additional members and understanding the wider international network behind the plot.
The latest arrest of Mohammad Zafar in Meerut has therefore added another case to the growing list of investigations involving cross-border terror links, radicalisation and terror financing.
