Ahmedabad, May 2 (IANS) A 32-year-old man from Lodai village in Bhuj taluka has been arrested by the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the West Kutch Police for allegedly promoting the ideology of the terrorist organisation ISIS and attempting to incite people through social media, officials said on Saturday.

The accused, identified as Fakirmamad Isha Gagda, was found to be operating multiple social media accounts under different names across platforms including Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp.

According to the police, he shared videos, images and written content influenced by extremist ideology, including references to former ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in an attempt to mislead individuals and encourage support for a “caliphate” and violent jihad, thereby posing a threat to India’s sovereignty, unity and integrity.

The arrest followed specific intelligence inputs developed through ongoing surveillance efforts.

Police said the SOG team monitored the suspect’s online activities and examined data from his mobile phone, where evidence of repeated posting of objectionable material across platforms was found.

The operation was carried out under the supervision of senior officers along with other personnel.

Speaking about the development, Superintendent of Police (SP) Vikas Sunda said that since last year’s “Operation Sindoor”, Kutch Police had been strengthening both human and technical intelligence networks, including social media surveillance, to gather information crucial for border security.

“Based on important inputs received and developed by the SOG, the team succeeded in apprehending this individual during the course of investigation,” he said.

He added that preliminary findings indicated the accused had posted content inspired by ISIS ideology at different times.

“Further investigation is ongoing to uncover additional aspects,” he said.

Responding to queries, a police officer said the accused’s mobile phone had been seized and older screenshots of his social media activity had been recovered.

On whether there were any funding links or contacts with ISIS operatives, the officer said the matter was under investigation.

Police have urged the public to report any suspicious activity and advised social media users to verify content before posting.

Legal action has been initiated against the accused under relevant provisions, and further investigation is under way.

–IANS

mys/pgh