The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) is likely to widen its investigation into the alleged Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) links of a 24-year-old Bihar resident by tracing the flow of funds, identifying his Pakistan-based handlers and examining whether he was part of a larger network involved in terror funding and radicalisation, senior ATS officials said on Tuesday.
Mohammad Zafar, a resident of Purnia district in Bihar, was arrested from Meerut by the UP ATS on Sunday. According to a press note issued by the agency, Zafar allegedly collected donations in the name of a madrasa and attempted to send money to Pakistan-based handlers for activities linked to jihad in India.
The ATS alleged that Zafar established contact with suspected Pakistani operatives and transferred money several times in the form of USDT through Binance. Investigators are now expected to reconstruct the entire financial trail, from the source of the donations and identities of contributors to the digital wallets and accounts through which the money was allegedly routed.
A senior ATS official said the cryptocurrency transactions are likely to form a key component of the investigation. The ATS may examine Zafar’s Binance account, USDT transfers and associated wallet addresses to determine the ultimate beneficiaries. Investigators are also likely to scrutinise an alleged failed attempt to transfer money to a Pakistani bank account.
He said the agency is also likely to identify and question the Pakistan-based contacts found on Zafar’s mobile phone. The ATS official said several Pakistan-based jihadist WhatsApp groups were found on his device and alleged that he came into contact with a Pakistani handler after joining a JeM-related jihadist group.
Investigators are likely to examine the digital trail to establish how Zafar was recruited, who directed him and whether he was acting independently or under instructions from handlers operating from Pakistan. His social media activity and electronic devices will also be scrutinised for evidence of contact with other suspected associates.
According to the ATS, Zafar had shared speeches of JeM chief Masood Azhar and allegedly attempted to influence people towards violent jihad. The agency is likely to examine whether such activity was limited to his personal consumption and dissemination or whether he was attempting to recruit or radicalise others.
Zafar’s madrasa connection in Meerut is another significant line of inquiry. The ATS said he studied at a madrasa in Meerut and claimed that he learnt about JeM during his stay there.
The ATS is also likely to determine whether the alleged collection of donations was Zafar’s individual initiative or was being carried out at the direction of a Pakistan-based handler.
According to the agency, Zafar said material glorifying jihad and the “martyrdom” of militants had influenced him and that he wanted to become a “mujahid”.
The immediate challenge before investigators is to establish whether Zafar was a lone individual influenced by extremist propaganda or a link in a wider network involving recruiters, fund collectors, digital intermediaries and Pakistan-based handlers.
