New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday carried out coordinated raids at five locations—three in Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) and two in Jhalawar (Rajasthan)—as part of an ongoing investigation into the Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT) terror conspiracy case, officials said.
The searches were conducted as part of a wider crackdown on HuT’s alleged attempts to radicalize Muslim youth, spread extremist ideologies, and recruit individuals to carry out violent acts aimed at destabilizing the Indian government and replacing it with an Islamic State governed under Sharia law.
According to official sources, the NIA recovered multiple digital devices including smartphones, laptops, and storage drives during the raids. These items have been seized for forensic examination to uncover communication patterns, recruitment strategies, and links to international networks.
“The operation is part of the ongoing probe into Hizb-ut-Tahrir’s underground activities to brainwash vulnerable youth and prepare them for jihad against the Indian state,” an NIA official stated.
The raids come amid increasing concerns over sleeper cells and radical modules functioning in central India. HuT, a banned Islamist organization in several countries, has been under the radar for allegedly plotting to replace secular democratic structures with extremist rule.
The NIA is expected to summon and interrogate several individuals linked to the seized material and locations. Preliminary leads suggest that online propaganda, encrypted chat groups, and foreign influence may be central to HuT’s operations in India.
