Dhanbad (Jharkhand) [India], May 2 (ANI): Ammar Yashar, a former operative of the Indian Mujahideen (IM), was apprehended by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) during the investigation into the Jharkhand module of Hizb ut-Tahrir on Thursday, said officials.

He was arrested in the Shamsher Nagar area of Dhanbad, Jharkhand. According to officials, he was produced in court and subsequently sent to jail.

According to ATS, Ammar was earlier associated with the banned organisation Indian Mujahideen and was arrested by Jodhpur Police in 2014. He was released in May 2024, on bail after spending 10 years in jail.

Following his release, he re-established contact with Hizb- ul- Tahrir ( HuT) operatives, who were arrested by ATS recently. Ammar's renewed involvement was revealed during the interrogation of Ayan Javed, a HuT member arrested by ATS recently.

ATS revealed that, Javed gave the crucial about Ammar that led to the seizure of suspicious documents from him, linking him to the banned group.

Therefore, ATS launched the massive crackdown on terror networks in April 26 in Dhanbad. During the significant operation, it arrested four operatives for alleged links to banned organisations Hizb ut-Tahrir and Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).

Those arrested were identified as Gulfam Hasan (21), Aayan Javed (21), Md Shahzad Alam (20), and Shabnam Parveen (20).

According to a release from the ATS, acting on intelligence inputs, the team recovered illegal arms, electronic devices, and extremist literature during raids on April 26. This marks the first criminal case in India following the recent ban on HuT under the UAPA Act.

'On April 26, 2025, based on the facts uncovered from the said intelligence, multiple teams were formed to conduct searches and raids at suspected locations in Dhanbad district. During the raids, the following individuals were arrested. From their possession, two pistols, 12 cartridges, several electronic devices (such as mobile phones, laptops), and a large quantity of documents/books related to banned organisations were recovered. A criminal case has been registered at ATS, Ranchi, and further investigation is underway,' the release stated.

The HuT (Hizb ut-Tahrir) was banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967 by the Government of India on October 10, 2024. This is the first criminal case registered in the country following the ban on this organisation. (ANI)