India’s premier anti-terror agency has launched a major nationwide operation, raiding locations across five states in connection with an unfolding investigation into an Al-Qaida cell allegedly planning attacks in the economically critical state of Gujarat.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted simultaneous searches at 10 sites in Gujarat, Haryana, West Bengal, Tripura, and Meghalaya on Thursday, seizing digital devices and documents.
The case was originally registered in June 2023, with five individuals charged by November of that year. The latest raids are aimed at dismantling the network’s funding and recruitment infrastructure.
The NIA has identified four Bangladeshi nationals as key operatives responsible for channelling money from Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) based in Bangladesh and for motivating Indian youth towards radicalisation. The module is suspected of facilitating the illegal entry of individuals and of targeting key installations in Gujarat.
An NIA official, speaking on background, stated, “Today’s raids are a significant step in dismantling this terror network. We are investigating their international linkages, including with the Pakistani Taliban (TTP).” The Gujarat Police, which has been working closely with the federal agency, welcomed the action.
A senior police commissioner said, “Our coordination with the NIA has been swift and effective in neutralising this threat to our industrial and economic hubs.” Independent security analysts noted the significance of the operation’s scope.
One analyst observed, “The geographic spread of these raids, from the northeast to the west, shows the pan-India nature of the recruitment and logistics networks that now exist.”
The broader context of this operation is a perceived increase in militant activity within India. Official data suggests there have been over 600 terror-related incidents in the country in 2025 alone. The raids also come amid a heightened state of alert following incidents like the Red Fort blast and the recent Pahalgam attack.
The government’s strategy has involved a two-pronged approach: enhanced domestic surveillance and intelligence-led operations like today’s NIA raids, coupled with a diplomatic push for greater international cooperation and the deportation of undocumented migrants, with over 500,000 Afghans and Bangladeshis expelled in recent years.
Written by Were Kelly
Sources: NewKerala, Indian Express.
