Ahmedabad: The National Investigating Agency (NIA) on Thursday conducted a search in Viramgam of Ahmedabad district regarding alleged operations of the militant outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and questioned a cleric for his alleged links with the outfit.
The searches were conducted at 19 locations in three states — Maharashtra, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh — and in the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir as part of a probe into a conspiracy by JeM to radicalise youths and spread terror in India, officials said.
“A search was conducted by NIA with the help of Ahmedabad rural police in the Jaish-e-Mohammed module case early on Thursday morning,” said a senior agency officer.
He said that the suspect in the case is a cleric and a teacher named Adil Vepari, 30, who was working with a madrassa and a mosque in Chekhla village of Sanand. Vepari, a native of Viramgam, was an online member of the group.
He was suspected of radicalising the youths, and the central agency got the lead that he joined the JeM through Telegram channels.
“We came to know that he was in touch with certain JeM operatives and sympathisers. We questioned him and checked his devices. We also collected some documents from his place inside the madrassa, which will be examined. Vepari was allowed to go on Thursday, and he might be called for further questioning if needed,” said the officer.
