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Police said the mastermind is based out of Greece while the three accused are first-time offenders but highly trained in digital sophistication suggesting an external handler
Police identified the three accused as (from left to right) Zaid Notiyar, Mohammad Ayan, and Abu Sufiyan. (Image: News18)
The Uttar Pradesh anti-terrorism squad claimed to have busted a crowdfunding scam for Gaza relief, in which Rs 5 crore was allegedly diverted for suspected “anti-national” activities.
Three men were arrested from Maharashtra’s Bhiwandi for allegedly diverting funds raised under the guise of relief money. According to the police, the mastermind behind this fraud is based out of Greece.
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Police identified the three accused as Mohammad Ayan, Zaid Notiyar, and Abu Sufiyan. They are first-time offenders but highly trained in digital sophistication suggesting an external handler, police said.Â
The police said the initial investigation has traced a foreign handler coordinating with Indian operatives, and funds are being routed through European withdrawals. Instagram and WhatsApp were used to dupe donors across 20 states along with emotional appeals, fake stories, and social media campaigns, they said. They particularly targeted Uttar Pradesh due to its high base of the Muslim population and were collecting money through UPI, digital wallets, and multiple banks to avoid agencies and financial intelligence, they added.
The arrests reveal a classic case of foreign-directed digital exploitation using local youth as operatives, the police said. The modus operandi involved using humanitarian narratives, fast-moving digital wallets, and emotional propaganda, which fits into a larger pattern of diaspora-linked funding pipelines rerouted for extremist or destabilising purposes, they said.
Top intelligence sources told News18 that initial evidence shows fraud and a structured money trail to Greece, with withdrawals in central Europe. This indicates cross-border laundering and raises suspicion of terror financing channels, the sources said. The scam’s launch coincided with peak Gaza war coverage in August, clearly showing tactical exploitation of global crises for illegal fundraising, they added.
The sources said the investigation was triggered by large transfers from Bhiwandi to Uttar Pradesh, which raised suspicion. The UP ATS acted after it found money trails linked to conflict-driven donation drives, they said.
Police and intelligence sources said this case suggests a growing trend of humanitarian crowdfunding hijacked by extremist or criminal networks without fundraising permission or registration. In India, there are KYC procedures to monitor donors but somehow these protocols were all missing in this case, they said.
While the accused were booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, it may lead to charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, or UAPA, if foreign terror financing links are established during interrogation and forensic analysis.
About the Author
Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18
Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18
Bhiwandi Nizampur, India, India
September 22, 2025, 22:15 IST
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