From encrypted messaging apps and cyber propaganda to alleged conversion-linked recruitment, honeytraps and the strategic use of Hindu identities as operational camouflage, investigations by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) over the past five years have revealed what officials describe as an increasingly sophisticated and decentralised model of radicalisation targeting vulnerable youths.
According to senior ATS officers and investigators associated with multiple ongoing probes, extremist handlers are increasingly moving away from conventional face-to-face indoctrination and relying instead on encrypted digital platforms, psychological manipulation and covert recruitment tactics to identify and cultivate vulnerable youths.
Officials said recent probes indicate that several suspects allegedly radicalised through online propaganda or conversion-linked ecosystems were later linked to espionage activities, extremist propaganda dissemination, sleeper-cell style operations and anti-national conspiracies.
“Radicalisation is no longer confined to physical meetings or closed religious circles. It has become decentralised, technology-driven and psychologically engineered,” a senior ATS official said, adding, “The process usually begins with emotional outreach through social media, gradually shifts towards ideological conditioning and eventually creates operational loyalty.”
Security agencies said concerns deepened after three separate ATS-linked investigations in recent weeks pointed towards strikingly similar patterns of recruitment, digital grooming and identity manipulation.
In one case, Meerut resident Tushar Chauhan alias Hizbullah Ali Khan and Sameer Khan of Delhi’s Seemapuri, both around 20 years old, were arrested on April 26 for alleged involvement in Hezbollah-inspired activities, officials said.
Investigators alleged the duo had come in contact with radical content through online channels and encrypted communication platforms.
In another case, Barabanki resident Krishna Mishra was arrested on May 6 for allegedly maintaining links with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and participating in anti-national conspiracies. Investigators claimed digital evidence and communication records indicated sustained contact with foreign handlers.
A third probe involved the arrest of Vikas Gehlawat and Papla Pandit on April 3, 2026. ATS officials alleged the duo was operating at the behest of Pakistani handlers and was involved in criminal and destabilisation-related activities.
Senior investigators said one of the most concerning trends emerging across several modules was the alleged use of Hindu names and identities as “front faces” to avoid suspicion, improve local outreach and bypass conventional profiling mechanisms.
“Handlers increasingly believe operatives with Hindu identities can move under the radar more effectively and establish trust faster while circulating propaganda or identifying vulnerable targets,” an ATS officer privy to the investigations said.
Officials said the tactic has complicated intelligence assessment because many recruits initially appeared disconnected from traditional radical ecosystems.
According to ATS officials, the pattern first became more visible during the 2021 crackdown on what investigators described as one of Uttar Pradesh’s largest illegal religious conversion rackets. The ATS arrested Maulana Umar Gautam, originally born as Shyam Prakash Singh Gautam, along with Mufti Qazi Jahangir Alam Qasmi, on the charges of operating a large-scale conversion network under the banner of an “Islamic Dawah Centre”.
Investigators alleged that crores of rupees in foreign funding were routed into the network to target economically vulnerable individuals and differently-abled persons through inducements including money, employment support and marriage assistance.
ATS officials said similar operational patterns resurfaced in Balrampur in May 2025, when investigators accused Jalaluddin alias Chhangur of using foreign funds to facilitate religious conversions through individuals identified as Neetu and Naveen Vohra, who allegedly emerged as public faces of the network after conversion.
Senior ATS officers said encrypted applications such as Telegram, Signal and Instagram are increasingly being used by handlers based in Pakistan and other countries to identify, groom and recruit vulnerable individuals.
Investigators alleged that recruits are first exposed to emotionally charged narratives, radical videos and ideological propaganda online before being gradually isolated from alternative viewpoints. In some cases, ATS officials claimed, honeytraps, fake passports, money transfers and promises of settlement abroad were used to deepen engagement and establish control over recruits.
“The ecosystem is no longer fragmented. Conversion syndicates, foreign handlers, cyber radicalisation and covert recruitment pipelines are increasingly intersecting,” a senior ATS officer said. “Tracking encrypted communication, hawala channels and digital behavioural patterns has become as important as conventional field intelligence,” he added.
“Uttar Pradesh Police and ATS are closely monitoring emerging patterns of cyber radicalisation, foreign-funded networks and anti-national activities. Recent investigations indicate increasing misuse of social media, encrypted platforms, fake identities and psychological manipulation to target vulnerable youths,” director general of police Rajeev Krishna said.
“The police are adopting a multi-layered strategy involving intelligence surveillance, cyber monitoring, financial tracking and inter-agency coordination to identify and neutralise such threats at an early stage. Strict action is being taken against all individuals and organisations found involved in radicalisation, terror funding, espionage or anti-national conspiracies. Public awareness and cooperation are equally important to counter such evolving security challenges,” he added.
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