Jharkhand ATS and Delhi Police have taken major action against Al Qaeda Indian Subcontinent module in Jharkhand with the arrest of eight persons linked with the organisation. Out of eight arrested persons the key person includes Dr Ishtiaq Ahmed a medical practitioner who was running the module in Jharkhand, said sources.

According to sources Dr Ishtiaq, who lives in Al Hasan Apartment in Bariatu, was recruiting terrorists for the Jharkhand module of Al Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS). Young terrorists sent by Dr Ishtiaq from Delhi and Rajasthan have been caught training.

Dr. Ishtiaq is originally from Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. He used to work in the radiology department at Medica Hospital in Ranchi. Apart from this, he also has his own clinic in Hazaribagh. It is being told that during his visits to Hazaribagh, he had linked Faizan Ahmed to the organization. The doctor lives in Al Hasan Residency located at Joda Talab in Ranchi. Ishtiaq has done MBBS from RIMS, Ranchi. When asked about the arrest of the doctor of Medica, the Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Vijay Mishra said that the hospital management has no information about it.

On Thursday, in a major operation, Jharkhand’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested eight persons in a series of coordinated raids across the state. The raids took place at 14 different locations, including Lohardaga’s Kairo and Hazaribagh’s Pelawal, as well as several other districts. The operation marks a significant success in the state’s ongoing efforts to curb terrorism.

The ATS also recovered a cache of weapons from one of the terrorists apprehended in Lohardaga. Sources said that the eight arrested persons have allegedly been linked to Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).

The joint raids were carried out by Jharkhand ATS, Special Task Force (STF), Ranchi Police and Delhi Police across 16 locations in Ranchi, Hazaribag and Lohardaga, following a tip-off from central agencies, he said.

Apart from Dr Ishtiaq Ahmed, Faizan alias Munna from Lohsinghana in Hazaribagh, Mohd Rizwan and Mufti Rahmatullah from Chanho in Ranchi. One person has been detained from Kudu in Lohardaga and three people from Chanho police station area of Ranchi. The arrested people were presented in the residential office of the judge. All will be taken from Ranchi to Delhi. The Jharkhand module of Al Qaeda in Indian Sub-continent (AQIS) was formed by Abdul Rehman Katki. Dr. Ishtiaq was taking it forward.

On the other hand, Altaf, who is associated with this module, has been taken into custody while taking training in handling weapons from Bhiwadi, Rajasthan. He is the elder son of Muslim Ansari, a resident of Kauwakhap village under Chandlaso Panchayat of Kudu block of Lohardaga. Two country-made carbines and an airgun have been recovered from his house in Kauwakhap village.