Bengaluru/Ahmedabad : In a significant development in the ongoing crackdown on alleged terror-linked activities, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) on Tuesday arrested a 30-year-old woman, Shama Parveen, from Bengaluru for her alleged involvement in disseminating extremist content linked to the Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).
Parveen, a native of Jharkhand residing in Bengaluru for the past five years, is the fifth person to be arrested in connection with the suspected AQIS module. Her arrest follows the detention of four others — Mohd Fardeen (Ahmedabad), Mohd Faiq (Delhi), Zeeshan Ali (Noida), and Sefullah Kureshi (Modasa, Gujarat) — on July 22.
According to the Gujarat ATS, Parveen was allegedly managing social media accounts flagged in previous investigations and had shared radical content on platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Officials said the accounts featured speeches by AQIS leaders such as Maulana Asim Umar and Anwar al-Awlaki, advocating violent jihad and promoting the concept of Ghazwa-e-Hind. She had also allegedly circulated videos of Maulana Abdul Aziz of Pakistan’s Lal Masjid, which authorities claim called for armed resistance against the Indian state and attempted to incite communal disharmony.
The arrest operation was carried out by a Gujarat ATS team led by DySP Virjeetsinh Parmar, with support from central intelligence agencies and Bengaluru city police. Parveen was apprehended on July 29 and produced before the 8th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) court in Bengaluru. Judge Vishwanath granted a transit warrant, allowing Gujarat Police to bring her to Ahmedabad for further investigation.
A preliminary examination of Parveen’s mobile device reportedly revealed her connection to accounts already under ATS scrutiny. Investigators also claim to have discovered multiple other social media handles and email accounts operated by her, as well as suspected links with foreign and Pakistan-based entities. She was also allegedly in contact with individuals associated with the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), further raising concerns over the extent of her involvement in radical networks.
Sources within the ATS confirmed that digital evidence from the earlier accused led them to an Instagram account allegedly managed by Mohd Faiq — ‘sharyat_ya_shahadat’. This account had reposted material from pages titled ‘strangers_nation02’, ‘Strangers Of The Nation’, and ‘Strangers Of The Nation 2’, ultimately pointing investigators toward Parveen’s digital footprint.
Parveen had reportedly been living with her brother, an employee of a private firm in Bengaluru. Authorities in Karnataka are now probing her local contacts to uncover any broader network she may have been a part of.
All five accused have been booked under multiple provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Investigations are ongoing.