Al-Qaeda Links Unearthed: Maharashtra ATS Raids Urdu Teacher’s House in Kurla, Seizes Gadgets and DocumentsCurated by

Mumbai: Maharashtra’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has uncovered fresh links to Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) following the arrest of a software engineer from Pune last week. Acting on leads from that case, ATS officers conducted a raid on Wednesday at the residence of Ibrahim Abidi, an Urdu teacher in the Mumbra-Kausa area of Thane district.

According to officials, Abidi had suspected connections with AQIS and was allegedly involved in radicalizing young white-collar individuals through online and offline religious sessions. He lived in a rented apartment in Mumbra and taught Urdu every Sunday at a mosque in Kurla.

During the raid, the ATS seized several electronic devices and suspicious documents, which have now been sent for forensic analysis to trace any digital links to terror networks. Investigators also searched the Kurla residence of Abidi’s second wife and suspect that he was influencing children with extremist ideologies.

This operation is part of the ongoing investigation into the Pune AQIS case, in which the ATS had earlier arrested Zubair Ilyas Hungergekar, a software engineer accused of promoting jihad and threatening India’s unity and security. Zubair’s digital devices contained extremist literature, deleted PDFs titled “Al-Qaeda and Its Forms”, and a translated Urdu version of a speech delivered by Osama bin Laden on Eid-ul-Fitr.

Further analysis of Zubair’s phone revealed the contact number of a Pakistani national and an extremist magazine titled “Inspire”, which contained information on AK-47 training and IED-making techniques using acetone peroxide. ATS sources confirmed that Zubair had attended a secret meeting at Abidi’s house in Mumbra.

Meanwhile, similar terror-related arrests have been made across India. On November 9, Gujarat ATS detained three individuals — Ahmad Mohiuddin Syed, Mohammad Suhail, and Azad — for alleged links with ISIS and plotting large-scale terror attacks nationwide. The next day, Azad was identified as a resident of Jhinjana, Shamli district (Uttar Pradesh). His family has denied any knowledge of terrorist affiliations and has sought a fair investigation.

In the wake of the Delhi car blast, security agencies across the country remain on high alert, with intensified surveillance at sensitive locations and coordinated efforts to dismantle any active terror modules.