UP govt says 'neutralised' 230 criminals, dismantled terrorist sleeper cells in 8 years

Lucknow: Over the past eight years, the Uttar Pradesh government has "crushed" organised crime with 230 criminals "neutralised" and dismantled terrorist sleeper cells statewide, a statement issued here said on Monday.

Adopting a zero-tolerance approach, the government has targeted terror networks, their funding, religious extremism, forged documents and foreign infiltration with a coordinated, multi-pronged strategy, it said.

Since 2017, under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s leadership, the state has become inhospitable to terrorists with 230 feared criminals neutralised, 142 sleeper cells dismantled -- including 131 active modules that sheltered operatives and leaked intelligence -- and 11 funding networks busted (with one terrorist killed in an encounter), the statement said.

Since taking office in 2017, the chief minister has mandated a zero-tolerance crackdown on crime and terrorism. Following his directive, the UP Anti-Terrorist Squad has deployed intelligence-led operations -- backed by advanced technology and surveillance -- to dismantle sleeper cells, block foreign infiltrations, and choke extremist funding networks.

The ATS’s eight-year campaign has successfully neutralised sleeper modules linked to global and domestic terrorist organisations, including ISIS, AQIS, JMB, ABT, LeT, JeM, HM, IM-SIMI, Naxals, PFI, and ISI, it said.

The sustained effort has not only disrupted terror networks, but also ensured the arrest of key operatives who facilitated these groups through shelter, communication, and logistics.

The ATS also struck at terror financing by dismantling 11 sleeper modules, arresting 41 counterfeiters seizing Rs 47.03 lakh in fake notes, detaining 173 illegal Rohingya and Bangladeshi nationals on security grounds, busting over 20 religious conversion syndicates, and apprehending 19 cybercriminals—including four Chinese nationals running SIM-card and identity scams.

The ATS has also cracked down on elements inciting religious unrest, including those plotting disruptive events around the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, it said.