The Maharashtra Anti‑Terrorism Squad (ATS) conducted a significant operation on Wednesday, carrying out raids at the home of a teacher in the Kausa area of Mumbra in Thane district, over suspected links with Al‑Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), the IANS reported.

According to officials, he was residing in a rented property in Mumbra’s Kausa area and taught Urdu at a mosque in Kurla every Sunday. The ATS also searched a second residence belonging to his second wife in Kurla, as part of the ongoing probe.

Investigators believe that the teacher, identified as, Ibrahim Abidi may have been influencing children towards extremist ideologies.

During the raids, a number of electronic devices were seized and are now undergoing forensic examination to determine any connection with terror networks, according to the IANS.

His wife told the PTI, “The police came with a search warrant in the afternoon and checked our house. They took our hard disk, our phones, and my children’s devices. The police told him to check his second house in Kurla, but nothing like that happened. We called and complained to the control room, but received no response. My children and I are disturbed.”

VIDEO | The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) conducted a raid at the residence of a teacher identified as Ibrahim Abidi in the Mumbra Kausa area.

His wife, Mahzabeen Abidi says, “The police came with a search warrant in the afternoon and checked our house. They took our… pic.twitter.com/QP3nr8s7Py

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 12, 2025

According to a statement released by the ATS, these searches are reportedly linked to the ongoing investigation into the Pune AQIS case, in which a software engineer was earlier arrested for alleged links to the banned terrorist organisation. In that case, authorities had already recovered suspicious literature and digital evidence from the accused. The Pune case had also seen the apprehension of Zubair Ilyas Hungargekar from Pune, charged with apparently promoting jihad in support of AQIS and for actions deemed to endanger the unity and security of the country.

In the wake of the recent car blast in Delhi, central and state security agencies have been placed on high alert. Security has been tightened at several sensitive locations, and investigative units have intensified surveillance efforts to pre-empt any potential threat or untoward incident.

Meanwhile, on November 9, the Gujarat ATS arrested three individuals linked with the Islamic State (ISIS) from Ahmedabad who were alleged to be conspiring to carry out terror attacks across India. The suspects — identified as Ahmed Mohiuddin Syed, Mohammad Suhel and Azad — had been under surveillance for almost a year and were detained while supposedly attempting to supply weapons. The agency stated that the group was planning arms exchanges and terror strikes at multiple locations nationwide. Investigations are ongoing to identify their possible targets and collaborators.

On November 10, one of the arrested suspects, Azad, was identified as a resident of Jhinjhana town in Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli district. His family has denied any knowledge of his alleged involvement in terrorism and have demanded a fair and transparent investigation into the matter.

(with IANS inputs)

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