LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) on late Sunday registered an FIR and launched a probe into an alleged inter-state module that was using encrypted messaging platforms to circulate anti-national content and radicalise youth to carry out fidayeen (suicide) attacks.
According to ATS officials, a group was active on secure platforms such as Signal (under the name Al-Maut-ul-Hind), Instagram (Green Birds), Discord (Strangers), and WhatsApp, where they shared content promoting jihad, encouraged attacks on Indian security forces, and discussed targeting Hindu leaders and Israeli establishments in India.
The FIR was filed on Thursday by ATS Sub-Inspector Rahul Satyal against three youths, two of whom belong to Sambhal and one from Patna. Their identities have not been revealed, and an interrogation with the ATS team is being conducted.
Sources in the ATS said the group was allegedly conspiring to destabilise the country by pushing violent narratives online and planning targeted strikes. “The suspects were reportedly engaged in testing explosives and practising with air and pellet guns. They also shared training videos and posts to recruit new members for “suicide missions,” the ATS stated in the FIR.
“Initial inputs suggest that the accused were part of a larger network preparing for proxy warfare against the Indian govt,” said a senior ATS official. “They aimed to foment communal tension and incite attacks on sensitive installations.”
The FIR has been lodged at ATS’s Gomtinagar police station under sections of UAPA, the Foreigners Act, and Explosives Act, and further investigation is underway to identify other members of the module and trace their funding sources.
The ATS has roped in technical experts to track digital trails across multiple platforms and is coordinating with central agencies for deeper intelligence.
