Mumbai: The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has dismantled a sophisticated radicalisation cell that used the beautiful game of football as a front for radicalisation. Following a massive sweep across 21 locations on Sunday, investigators uncovered a network that swapped tactical playbooks for extremist manifestos.
According to the Times of India report, they used football to mask the “jihadi” indoctrination. At the heart of the operation is a Nagpur-based grocer, originally a native of Pusad, who had recently relocated to Jaffar Nagar. While he appeared to be a simple shopkeeper, intelligence officials allege he was the architect of a radicalisation hub centred around a soccer club in Yavatmal’s Pusad district.
The “club” reportedly served as a perfect camouflage, allowing the suspect to recruit and groom vulnerable local youths under the guise of sports training. However, the goal wasn’t a trophy; it was the “propagation of anti-India sentiments” and extremist ideologies.
Football team attended ‘radicalisation workshops’
The investigation has revealed a well-funded logistics operation that extended far beyond the local pitch.
Initial inputs from the investigators suggest that the suspects were frequently moved across the country disguised as a travelling football team.
Instead of matches, these “players” reportedly attended “radicalisation workshops in Kerala and West Bengal’, TOI reported.
The ATS highlighted the use of expensive flight tickets for these trips, pointing to a robust financial backbone and external backing that far exceeds the budget of a grassroots sports club.
Digital trails and global links
Intelligence sources indicate that these “footballers” weren’t just training locally; they were deeply embedded in the digital world of global terror. Preliminary findings suggest the suspects maintained active contact with “cross-border radical Islamic terror outfits” through encrypted online platforms, participating in discussions that “promoted pro-jihadi views”.
According to the investigators, the mastermind himself was already a person of interest. His family’s decades-old ties to radical Islamist organisations had kept him on the intelligence radar for years. Though he was detained and questioned before being released, he remains under intense surveillance as the primary person of interest.
Forensics and funding
The Sunday raids, which spanned districts including Nagpur, Pusad, and Ahilyanagar, resulted in the seizure of some evidence, including Laptops, smartphones, and various digital devices.
Data is currently being extracted to recover deleted messages and trace the exact communication channels used with foreign handlers. Also, the Investigators are now focused on “following the money” to identify the primary donors and domestic links supporting the network.