BDS Student Arrested From Moradabad For 'Links' With ISIS Online Module
UP ATS said Harish Ali was engaged in anti-national activities, incited people, and formed groups to recruit and motivate individuals to participate in terrorist operations.
Published : March 17, 2026 at 10:09 AM IST
|Updated : March 17, 2026 at 7:50 PM IST
Saharanpur: A 19-year-old Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) student was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) from Moradabad on Tuesday for allegedly having links with an online module associated with the terrorist organisation ISIS, officials said.
The accused, identified as Harish Ali, hails from Mankamau village under the Qutub Sher police station area in Saharanpur, police said, adding that he got involved in activities linked to the extremist organisation's online network while living in Moradabad for studies.
"While residing in Moradabad, the BDS student was not only pursuing his medical studies but was also actively working for the online module of the terrorist organisation, ISIS. The ATS has also recovered evidence from the youth establishing his links with the terrorist organisation and is currently interrogating Harish Ali. He engaged in anti-national activities, incited people, and formed groups to recruit and motivate individuals to participate in terrorist operations," the ATS said in a statement.
Investigators said the ATS had been receiving intelligence inputs from credible sources suggesting that certain individuals across multiple Indian states, including Uttar Pradesh, were operating as active members of an ISIS-linked module. They had created groups on encrypted communication platforms such as Session and Discord, intending to spread the extremist ideology of ISIS and expand its network.
"These individuals have established groups on various encrypted applications — such as Session and Discord — to propagate ISIS's jihadist ideology. A concerted campaign is underway to recruit as many people as possible into these groups. To bolster ISIS's strength, propaganda material, as well as the organisation's ideological tenets and directives, are being widely shared. They are hatching a well-orchestrated conspiracy to execute major terrorist attacks within India under the banner of ISIS," the statement said.
Acting on precise intelligence and corroborating the information through both physical and electronic surveillance, the ATS registered a case in January at the ATS police station in Lucknow under Sections 148, 152 and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, as well as Sections 18, 18-B, and 38 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, ATS officials said.
Investigators further said that during the probe, it was revealed that Ali had allegedly worked in coordination with ISIS module handlers and other associates described as 'Mujahid'. He was part of a network that aimed to destabilise the democratically-elected government and promote the establishment of a system of governance based on Sharia law under a so-called Caliphate.
Officials said Ali had created several ISIS-backed groups on social media platforms, including Instagram, as well as encrypted messaging platforms such as Session and Discord, through which he actively attempted to recruit like-minded individuals and disseminate extremist propaganda. These groups were allegedly used to circulate content originating from ISIS media outlets, including magazines, ideological material and propaganda publications.
ATS officials said the material shared in these groups also included images, videos and audio recordings related to slain terrorists as well as speeches delivered by prominent ISIS ideologues. Ali's network extended beyond India and allegedly involved communication with ISIS handlers in Pakistan and several other foreign countries.
To further expand the ISIS's agenda in India, Ali had also created a separate group of his own titled 'Al-Ittihad Media Foundation', they added.
"As an active member of ISIS, he closely followed the organisation's media and news outlet, Al-Naba, as well as its propaganda magazine, Dabiq. Ali rejects the democratic system. His objective, which aligns with the sole aim of ISIS, was to establish a Caliphate governed by Sharia law through the waging of Jihad. To this end, he would use these groups to incite individuals to carry out Fidayeen (suicide) attacks," officials said.
An ETV Bharat team visited Ali's ancestral house in Mankamau, where villagers gathered outside. However, no family member was present inside the sprawling bungalow, as all of them have reportedly left for Moradabad following his arrest. Neighbours said the family has been residing in the area for a long time, and Ali's forefathers were among the prominent landowners of the locality.
His father is employed at a private company, his elder brother holds an MD degree, and his sister is currently pursuing an MBBS. Neighbours said the family has never been involved in any disputes with anyone in the locality, and neither do they recall seeing Harish in bad company, as he often stayed away from home for his studies and visited occasionally. He generally remained indoors and rarely interacted with people outside the family. Despite the allegations, neighbours reiterated that the family has always been known locally as a decent and respectable household, officials said.
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