A 30-year-old woman named Shama Parveen Ansari has been arrested by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) for allegedly promoting Al-Qaeda’s ideology online and encouraging violence against India. Originally from Jharkhand, Ansari had been living in the Manoramapalya area of Bengaluru for the past five years. She was arrested on July 29 after Gujarat ATS received intelligence from suspects they had earlier taken into custody.
Authorities say Ansari was managing an online propaganda network linked to Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS). Using two Facebook pages and an Instagram account with over 10,000 followers in total, she allegedly spread content supporting extremist ideologies, praised radical clerics, and encouraged hostility toward India.
One of her most alarming posts appeared on May 9, shortly after India launched Operation Sindoor, which “targeted terrorist camps in Pakistan”, the authorities said. In the post, which included a photo of Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir, she urged him to “march forward” to eliminate Hindutva and Zionism and implement an Islamic state through Project Khilafat. “You have a golden opportunity… so march forward,” she wrote, as per the authorities.
Officials said this post was part of a series in which Ansari encouraged violence and called for a revolution in India. In one video shared on Instagram, a preacher attacked Indian Muslims for supporting the Indian Army. Another video featured Abdul Aziz, the cleric of Lahore’s Lal Masjid, who called for armed revolt to establish an Islamic rule in India. A third clip promoted the “idea of Ghazwa-e-Hind,” authorities said.
According to ATS, Ansari was in contact with four other individuals — Mohd Fardeen, Sefullah Kureshi, Zeeshan Ali, and Mohd Faiq — who were arrested earlier from Gujarat, Delhi, and Noida. All of them, aged between 20 and 25, were allegedly communicating through a social media app and had been given targets across the country.
“She was actively using Instagram and other platforms to radicalise young people, especially by promoting Ghazwa-e-Hind,” said an ATS official.
Ansari was presented before a magistrate in Bengaluru who allowed her transfer to Gujarat for further questioning. All five accused have been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), which deals with terrorism-related offences.
Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent was formed in 2014 and is currently led by Osama Mehmood. Although not widely known in India, the group has reportedly been trying to expand its presence in Jammu & Kashmir, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, according to the United Nations.
