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Saharanpur: BDS student’s arrest points to likely remnants of ISIS ‘medicos module’
The accused, identified as Haris Ali, was arrested from Moradabad on Sunday (March 15). Investigators believe he may be part of a residual network linked to the module that first came under scrutiny following the arrest of Dr Adil Rather from Saharanpur on November 6, 2025, along with other medically trained individuals from Lucknow and elsewhere in the country after a car explosion near the Red Fort Metro Station in Delhi on November 10, 2025.
The arrest of a 19-year-old BDS student from Saharanpur by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has raised fresh concerns that remnants of a suspected ISIS-linked “medicos module” may still be active, months after a major crackdown on the network following the 2025 Red Fort blast case.
The accused, identified as Haris Ali, was arrested from Moradabad on Sunday (March 15). Investigators believe he may be part of a residual network linked to the module that first came under scrutiny following the arrest of Dr Adil Rather from Saharanpur on November 6, 2025, along with other medically trained individuals from Lucknow and elsewhere in the country after a car explosion near the Red Fort Metro Station in Delhi on November 10, 2025.
The earlier investigation gathered pace after the blast, with digital evidence pointing to a coordinated online radicalisation network involving educated youth, particularly those from medical backgrounds.
Senior ATS officials said preliminary findings suggest the student may have been in contact with operatives linked to the earlier module and may have remained undetected during the initial probe.
“The pattern of online activity, content dissemination and choice of communication platforms closely mirrors the earlier module. We are examining whether he is a leftover operative who continued activities quietly after the main network was disrupted,” a senior officer said.
Investigators suspect the accused may have been indoctrinated by senior members of the group, including qualified doctors, enabling him to operate under the radar. Sources indicated that despite multiple arrests last year, agencies had anticipated that some peripheral or low-profile operatives might have evaded detection.
According to ATS officials, the accused was actively running multiple online groups across platforms such as Instagram, Discord and encrypted messaging applications. He allegedly circulated ISIS propaganda, including videos, digital publications and audio clips glorifying extremist ideology and slain militants. One such group, titled “Al Jihad Media Foundation”, was reportedly created to amplify propaganda and attract like-minded individuals.
Agencies are also probing suspected cross-border linkages. Early inputs suggest the accused may have been in contact with handlers based in Pakistan and other foreign locations.
Officials flagged the involvement of medically educated youth as a troubling trend. “Such individuals carry credibility and are less likely to arouse suspicion. They can influence peers within academic institutions, making recruitment more effective,” an officer said.
Following the 19-year-old’s arrest, security agencies have intensified surveillance across western Uttar Pradesh, particularly in districts such as Saharanpur, which has surfaced repeatedly in recent investigations. Monitoring has also been stepped up in medical and technical institutions amid concerns that terror outfits are increasingly relying on decentralised, online-driven radicalisation rather than conventional physical modules.
The accused was produced before a court and further interrogation is underway. Investigators are focusing on digital forensics and data recovery to map the evolution of the network after the 2025 crackdown and identify other possible operatives still active within the ecosystem.
