A 38-year-old single mother, who used to work as a domestic help and had over 38,000 followers on Instagram, has allegedly emerged as an accused in an interstate terror module, with police claiming she played a role in radicalising and recruiting people through online groups.
Sayeeda Begum was arrested on March 23 as part of the Vijayawada police’s investigation into the terror module. According to the FIR filed at Vijayawada II Town police station, Sayeeda was allegedly an active member of online groups promoting preachers Israr Ahmed and Zakir Naik and propagating materials and videos related to ISIS and Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS). Sayeeda has denied all the allegations against her, and her lawyer says she did not create those groups but was rather added to them without her knowledge.
Police claim she recruited members, including a Bihar resident as young as 16, and encouraged them to travel to terror camps in Pakistan for arms training.
Apart from Sayeeda, Vijayawada police have arrested 11 others in connection with the investigation. Most are in their 20s and include a driver, a technician and a businessman from Vijayawada, a student from Patna, an alleged foreign handler named Al Hakim Shukoor, a painter from New Delhi, and youths from Jodhpur, West Bengal, Karnataka and Navi Mumbai.
Among those arrested, the Andhra Pradesh Police’s Counter-Intelligence Cell said the woman stood out. An officer who is part of the investigation alleged that Sayeeda encouraged members of her online groups to share “jihadi” videos and literature, and that she posted names and contact details of handlers living abroad.
‘Quiet, always on her phone’
Sayeeda lived in a small two-room rented accommodation in the Chanchalguda area of Hyderabad’s Old City with her parents and young child.
A neighbour said, “She used to work in two to three houses as a domestic help to support herself and her parents. She is a quiet person… didn’t interact much with anyone and kept to herself. Her mother once remarked that she was always on her phone.”
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Sayeeda lived in a small two-room rented accommodation in the Chanchalguda area (Special arrangement photo)
The remand report filed at the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in Vijayawada alleged that she was associated with extremist groups and was influenced by their ideology. She is accused of having created dozens of fake profiles on social media to circulate provocative content, and of allegedly encouraging ordinary working women and homemakers to join discussions on jihad.
Her sister said the family was originally from Sholapur, but settled down in Chanchalguda about 20 years ago. Sayeeda is the second of four sisters and was married to a painter. However, after their son was born, she never returned to her husband and divorced him four years ago. To support herself and her ailing parents, she started working as a house help in her locality.
According to her relatives, Sayeeda dropped out of school after class 4. Later, she became aware of Instagram and started making reels, amassing a considerable following and making some money through promotions.
A relative, who did not wish to be named, said, “She first started making reels about preparing food at her house. Later, she would go to tailors or seamstresses in the area and make reels about them, along with their names and contact details. She would receive between Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 from them if they received orders as a result of her reels. She had 38,000 followers.”
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However, she also received many abusive messages and harassment from men after revealing in one of her reels that she was a single mother, the relative said, adding, “She blocked the abusers as far as I know.”
According to police, Sayeeda told them that 7-8 months ago, she received a link on Instagram as well as WhatsApp, which turned out to be from a religious group posting videos promoting ISIS. Her lawyer, Abdus Saleem, who was present during her questioning for five days at the Central Crime Station in Vijayawada, said she denies allegations that she created the group. She has also denied all other allegations against her. She claimed that she was automatically made a member and administrator of the groups circulating objectionable content, and that she had nothing to do with these activities.
Raids and arrests
On March 22, based on a tip-off that a person was sharing/publishing videos promoting jihad, personnel from the Vijayawada II Town police station raided a house in the Winchpet area of Vijayawada and detained a cab driver. Police said he allegedly confessed that he became radicalised through social media and that he became a follower of preachers like Zakir Naik and Israr Ahmed. Police also said they seized “jihadi” literature, extremist propaganda, and banners of banned organisations.
“He found several others online who shared his thoughts and opinions, including Sayeeda Begum, who had formed or was already a member of several groups,” an officer said.
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According to police, the cab driver allegedly told investigators he had formed a small sub-group with others from Vijayawada, and indulged in promoting the radicalisation of others through social media. They allegedly came in contact with the foreign handler, Al-Hakim Shukoor, through social media.
According to police, this group would keep a watch on the activities of young people online and allegedly try to indoctrinate or radicalise vulnerable ones. They were accused of actively encouraging some youths to travel to Pakistan and Afghanistan to receive arms training.
All those arrested in connection with the case were in police custody till April 6, when they were placed in judicial custody. Police said they are trying to identify more members of the module.
