UP: ATS arrests Varanasi resident for alleged links to Pak-backed anti-national groups

Varanasi: The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested a Varanasi resident, Tufail, son of Maqsood Alam, for allegedly sharing sensitive internal security information with contacts in Pakistan and promoting anti-India propaganda through social media platforms.

According to an official statement issued by the ATS, Tufail, a resident of Doshipura in the Jaitpura area of Varanasi, was found to be part of a WhatsApp group operated by Pakistan-backed anti-national organisations. These groups, the agency said, were aimed at undermining India’s sovereignty, unity, and integrity.

The intelligence inputs further revealed that Tufail had been in contact with multiple individuals in Pakistan and was actively disseminating videos of Maulana Shad Rizvi, a leader of the banned extremist group Tehreek-e-Labbaik. He also circulated inflammatory messages promoting “Ghazwa-e-Hind,” calls for avenging the Babri Masjid demolition, and demands for the imposition of Sharia law in India.

Investigations confirmed that Tufail had shared images and information about several sensitive locations in India, including Rajghat, Namoghat, Gyanvapi, the Varanasi railway station, Jama Masjid, the Red Fort, and Nizamuddin Auliya Dargah, with Pakistani contacts. The ATS stated that he had shared the links to these Pakistan-run WhatsApp groups with numerous individuals across Varanasi, and was reportedly in touch with more than 600 Pakistani phone numbers.

Additionally, Tufail had been in contact via Facebook with a woman named Nafeesa, a resident of Faisalabad, Pakistan.