Five persons were detained by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the local police from Madhopur village in Jharkhand's Koderma district on Monday over allegations of circulating audio clips purportedly featuring Pakistan-based terrorist Masood Azhar on social media.
According to sources, all five detainees are residents of Madhopur village and were active on Instagram and other online platforms. Investigators suspect they had been sharing the alleged audio messages with the intention of influencing and radicalising Muslim youths and promoting communal discord.
The operation was launched after the Intelligence Bureau reportedly received specific inputs about the online activity. Acting on the information, the IB alerted the Koderma district police, following which a joint team conducted a late-night operation that culminated in raids early Monday. The five suspects were taken into custody and are currently being questioned.
Officials have not issued any formal statement on the matter, maintaining silence as the investigation remains in its preliminary stage. Sources said investigators are examining the detainees' mobile phones and other electronic devices to trace the origin of the audio clips, identify their online contacts, and determine the purpose and scale of the alleged dissemination.
Security agencies are also trying to establish whether the suspects had links with any organised network or whether the activity was confined to social media platforms. The findings of the digital forensic examination are expected to play a key role in the investigation.
Koderma had previously figured in a terror-related investigation in July 2025 when the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested a woman identified as Shama Parveen, a resident of Asnabad in Jhumri Telaiya, from Bengaluru.
She was accused of having alleged links with a terrorist organisation and of participating in its activities through social media. The latest detentions have once again brought the district under the scanner of central and state security agencies.
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