Shama Parveen’s arrest from her rented flat in Hebbal has sent shockwaves through intelligence circles.

(With agency inputs)

NEW DELHI: Shama Parveen Ansari, a 30-year-old woman originally from Jharkhand and living in Bengaluru for the past three years, has emerged as a key figure in a growing radicalisation network allegedly promoting al-Qaeda’s ideology in India.Her arrest by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) from her rented flat in Hebbal’s Manorayanapalya has sent shockwaves through intelligence circles.Parveen, who was residing with her younger brother, had no formal employment and lived a quiet, low-profile life — but behind the scenes, she was allegedly amplifying jihadist propaganda through social media.According to investigators, Parveen actively ran two Facebook pages and an Instagram account with over 10,000 followers. Through these platforms, she reportedly shared radical sermons, speeches, and anti-India content aligned with the ideology of al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), a banned terrorist outfit.She allegedly called upon followers to support jihadist causes and engaged with content designed to radicalise viewers.The ATS says Parveen was directly linked to one of the four men arrested last week in a multi-state operation that uncovered a broader terror module.She was reportedly following and interacting with several radicalised individuals online who had already been under surveillance. Authorities believe she served as a digital sympathiser, content distributor, and possibly a recruiter.Shama Parveen was produced before a local court after her arrest and a transit warrant was secured to move her to Gujarat for further questioning. Officials describe her as a “digital propagandist” and a potential amplifier of extremist ideologies through social media.An ATS source said, “She may not have been handling weapons, but she was handling narratives—and that’s equally dangerous today.”