- By Nidhi Giri
- Wed, 17 Jun 2026 12:48 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
A sleeper cell planning to hatch a terrorist conspiracy in India at the behest of Pakistani intelligence agencies and handlers, has been exposed. After the arrest of Izharul, a teacher of Noor-e-Mohammadiya Madrasa of Madhubani on Monday in a joint operation of Madhya Pradesh and Bihar ATS (Anti-Terrorist Squad), security agencies have got multiple leads.
Syndicate Run From Nepal
During interrogation, it became clear that Izharul, using identity cards and Aadhaar cards purchased from various districts of Bihar, smuggled Indian SIM cards to Pakistan through agents based in Nepal. He had travelled to Nepal several times to run this syndicate. The entire network was exposed when the Madhya Pradesh ATS arrested Muhammad Faraz alias Khalid Saifullah, a resident of Bhopal.
Faraz quickly broke down under the ATS's interrogation. Digital evidence from his mobile phone's WhatsApp chats and Google Meet revealed the deep involvement of Naeem Abdullah, a resident of Saharanpur’s Deoband in Uttar Pradesh, and Izharul of Madhubani in anti-national activities. With solid evidence in hand, the ATS arrested Naeem from Deoband and then Izharul from Madhubani.
Used To Brainwash Youth
Investigations by security agencies revealed that Izharul had been given the responsibility by his Pakistani handler to expand the network in Bihar. SIM cards were purchased and smuggled from districts like Bhagalpur, Banka, Kishanganj, Purnia, Katihar, Darbhanga, and Madhubani. Under the guise of madrasa education, Izharul was brainwashing young people and inducting them into terrorist activities.
All 3 In Contact With Pakistan-Based Terrorist
The three accused were directly linked to Mufti Zainul Abedin, a terrorist leader based in Pakistan. The Mufti had sent an inflammatory audio byte on Telegram, claiming that sacrificing one's life for the Prophet was a matter of pride. He had instructed these young men to prove their loyalty by recording similar audio and video which Faraz, Naeem, and Izharul recorded and sent to Pakistan.
The Mufti was preparing them for a larger conspiracy by providing misleading and provocative information about India's religious sites. They maintained contact with Pakistani and other foreign Mujahideen through Telegram and WhatsApp, deleting their chats immediately after each conversation to avoid detection by agencies. Currently, the ATS is connecting all the links and searching for other sleeper cell operatives.