Over the past month, two modules of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) were neutralised in West Bengal-Jharkhand, and Gujarat-Madhya Pradesh, with 11 JeM operatives were arrested.
In West Bengal-Jharkhand: On August 3, 2026, Special Task Force (STF) of West Bengal Police arrested Aditya Singh alias Raj, from his residence at Belilious Road in Howrah District of West Bengal. Police got the information about Singh after interrogating JeM operative Hamim Mondal and his associate, Arpita Sarkar.
On July 31, 2026, Hamim’s associate Arpita Sarkar was arrested from the Sahibganj District of Jharkhand. An unnamed official stated, “Sarkar allegedly played a key role in a ‘honey-trap’ network used to lure targets as part of the suspected module’s activities. Our investigation suggests that the accused attempted to build a network to access sensitive personal information of certain political personalities.”
On July 30, 2026, the West Bengal Police STF arrested Hamim Mondal, a JeM operative, from the Renaissance Township of Burdwan in the Bardhaman District of West Bengal. Digital devices recovered from him indicated his surveillance activities on several political functionaries, including travel movements of State Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. According to the Police, he was a close confidant of Sajjad Butt, one of the suspected persons involved in the 2019 Pulwama attack.
In Gujarat-Madhya Pradesh:
On July 3, 2026, Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested eight persons, including seven from Gujarat and one from Madhya Pradesh for conspiring to establish a JeM network. Ahmad Abdullah Gajivala aka Abu Ubaida, and Ibrahim Mohammad Husain Ghagha aka Abu Hamza, both from Nandasan in Mehsana District; Mudassir Abdullah Gajivala aka Abu Aya from Bhagal in the Palanpur area of Banaskantha District; Zakariya Durani Mohammad Ammar Ghagha aka Ibn Ammar aka Zakariya Palanpuri, Mufti Faujan Ismail Dauva aka Mufti Saab, and Mohammad Amin Shera aka Amin Palanpuri, all associated with Jamia Abul Hasan Madrasa at Khadiyasana in Siddhpur from Patan District; and Mohammad Abdul Rehman Savdi aka Mohammad Palanpuri aka Abu Unesa, associated with Jamia Rahmaniya Khambhiya at Ambheta in the Chikhli town of Navsari District. The eighth accused, Bilal Durani Mohammad Ammar Ghagha aka Abu Dujana aka Abu Sufiyan aka Abu Jundal aka Umarbin Khatab, was arrested from Dewas District in Madhya Pradesh.
Following the arrests, the Gujarat ATS issued a statement on the day of arrest, saying that these suspects were contacting people across India through various media to radicalise them, and carry out dawat (inviting people to join the outfit). The ATS added that the operatives had formed an organisation called Darul Islam Gujarat Jaish-e-Mohammed in Gujarat. It was also suspected that they were in contact with Pakistan-based handlers identified as Abdullah and Mohammad Umar, and also translated JeM literature from Urdu to Gujarati to propagate JeM ideology.
According to partial data collated by South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), since 2000, 1,413 people have been killed in 658 JeM-related incidents across India, including 102 civilians, 237 Security Forces (SFs) personnel, 1,072 JeM militants, and two persons in the Not Specified (NS) category (data updated till August 6, 2026).
Of the 658 JeM-related killing incidents, 647 were recorded in J&K, while 11 occurred outside J&K. 1,376 of the 1,413 fatalities were recorded in J&K, while 37 occurred outside J&K. 100 civilian died in J&K and two outside; 221 SF personnel were killed inside J&K and 16 outside; 1,053 JeM militants were killed in J&K, and 19 outside; and the two NS category fatalities were in J&K. The last reported killing incident in J&K occurred on February 22, 2026, when three JeM terrorists, including ‘commander’ Saifullah, were killed by the Army in the Chatroo area of Kishtwar District.
In addition, 496 JeM terrorists have been arrested, of which 398 arrests took place in J&K, and 71 outside.
Nevertheless, Jaish along with Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) is moving away from traditional infiltration routes, instead tapping into a “home-grown” network of illegal immigrants (mostly from Bangladesh) settled in South India. As reported on March 9, 2026, terrorist handlers are now specifically scouting for recruits in South India to execute high-profile attacks in the North. Earlier, an October, 2024, report noted that JeM had been effectively running an online campaign to recruit disgruntled people, with the help of a Telegram channel, and actively inviting Muslim youth from Assam, Maharashtra, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, to disseminate terrorist-related propaganda and recruit individuals for lone-wolf attacks and other acts of terrorism across India.
JeM has long been trying to increase its all-India outreach. In addition to the two modules documented above, other JeM related arrests across India include:
On June 21, 2026, Rajasthan ATS arrested a woman identified as Babita Dhakad alias Khadija from Jaipur in Rajasthan, for being in contact with JeM operatives. Investigators found several profiles in her social media friend list displaying flags and content associated with JeM and other extremist organisations.
On June 5, 2026, the Uttar Pradesh ATS and Punjab Special Task Force (STF) arrested Mohtseem from Bachiti village in the Deoband area of the Saharanpur District of Uttar Pradesh, linked to a case in connection with the 2021 RPG attack case at Mohali in the Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar District of Punjab. Investigative agencies claim that Mohtseem was part of a suspected JeM network.
On March 2, 2026, the Maharashtra ATS arrested a 21-year-old engineering student, Ayan Sheikh, for suspected links with JeM and the Islamic State (IS) from Mumbai in Maharashtra. Sheikh is suspected to have circulated propaganda through encrypted platforms such as Telegram, attempted recruitment, and added two engineering students to extremist groups.
On January 26, 2026, a youth, Faizan Sheikh, was arrested by the Gujarat ATS from Charpul area of Navsari District. According to the ATS, preliminary investigations reportedly suggest that Sheikh was influenced by the radical ideology of JeM and Al Qaeda.
According to a December 23, 2025, report, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), along with JeM and other militant outfits, has been planning to infiltrate terrorists into India through the Bangladesh corridor, amid unrest in Dhaka. Several terrorists are believed to have received training from Pakistani agencies for infiltration. Vulnerable populations in Bangladesh, including Rohingya refugees, are lured with money to participate in jihad (Holy War) and enter India.
Further, on January 15, 2026, it was reported that ISI and the Pakistan Army were grooming a second generation of terrorist leaders to revive and sustain cross-border terrorism against India. A high-level meeting was held at Bahawalpur, Pakistan, involving ISI and Pakistan Army officials and senior next-generation commanders of JeM and LeT. JeM ‘commander’ Abdur Rauf aka Abdul Rauf Asgar, attended the meeting and later met JeM ‘chief’ Masood Azhar. ISI is apparently shifting focus from ageing leaders such as Masood Azhar to the younger lot.
Since Operation Sindoor (May 7-10, 2025), JeM has been on the path of rebuilding its infrastructure and capacities. As reported on May 6, 2026, satellite imagery suggests that JeM, is reconstructing its headquarters, Markaz Subhan Allah or Jamia Masjid Subhan Allahat Bahawalpur in Punjab, located beside Highway No. 5, which reportedly sustained damage during Operation Sindoor. Images show heavy machinery and multiple construction vehicles deployed at the site. High-resolution satellite images sourced from the US-based space technology firm Vantor, show that the mosque’s damaged domes have now been repaired. Another set of satellite images, dated April 22, 2026, from Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), showed similar activity at a Jaish-linked facility – the Syedna Bilal Mosque. The structure, appears to be undergoing complete site clearance, with material and supplies for further construction also present.
According to the US Congressional Research Service (CRS) report, Terrorist and Other Militant Groups in Pakistan, updated on March 25, 2026, JeM has roughly 500 armed supporters, operating in India, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
As reported on August, 22, 2025, to sustain a constant flow of finance, JeM is now tapping into the digital wallet networks. Wallets linked to Masood Azhar’s family members are being used to sidestep international scrutiny. Posters, Facebook pages and WhatsApp messages openly advertise a campaign to build around 313 new markaz (centres), each projected at a cost of PKR 12.5 million. The appeal is reinforced through a letter from Azhar himself, and an audio message from his brother Talha Al Saif, urging each supporter to donate PKR 21,000. At least 250 wallets have been linked to this drive, while JeM is believed to operate more than 2,000 wallets nationwide. Digital wallets such as EasyPaisaand SadaPay are reportedly at the core of this system. JeM rotates 7–8 wallets every four months, activating at least 30 new wallets monthly. Large sums accumulated are split into smaller amounts, or converted to cash. Roughly 80 per cent of JeM’s finances now move through digital wallets, amounting to PKR 800-900 million annually, with a large share coming from Gulf-based donors.
In another development, on October 8, 2025, Jaish ‘chief’, Masood Azhar had officially announced the establishment of a women-only wing, Jamaat ul-Muminat, at the JeM headquarters in Bahawalpur, Punjab, and official recruitment to this wing commenced on the same day. Later, On October 19, 2025, a ground-level outreach event called Dukhtaran-e-Islam (Daughters of Islam) was held in Rawalakot, in PoK to pull more female recruits into the brigade and, on November 8, 2025, it officially launched its digital campaign, Tuhfat-al-Muminat, starting structured 40-minute daily online lectures. Led by Azhar’s sister, Sadiya Azhar, the wing conducts virtual lectures, charging PKR 500 per participant. Intelligence reports indicate that the initiative especially targets financially vulnerable women, as well as relatives of ‘commanders’, aiming to brainwash and prepare them for active combat and fundraising roles.
JeM is certainly on an overhauling drive since Operation Sindoor, trying to upgrade itself in order to remain a potent threat for India, diversifying recruitment drives and efforts to garner substantial funds from followers and sympathisers. The establishment of a female unit, online outreach and digital financing are indications towards and evolving approach, even as the ever-present shadow of ISI and its relentless pursuit to destabilize India regulates Jaish’s capacities.
