Jaipur, Nov 1 : Rajasthan's Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has detained five individuals from Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jalore and Karauli districts following intelligence inputs from the Intelligence Bureau (IB), officials said on Saturday.

The operation, conducted early Friday morning, exposed a suspected network linked to foreign-based terrorist organisations and illegal funding channels, they said.

"Five individuals have been detained for suspected involvement in foreign funding. They are being thoroughly interrogated, and their digital devices are under forensic examination. None have been formally arrested yet. We are investigating the sources and motives of the overseas funders," said Dinesh MN, Additional Director General, Anti-Terrorist Squad-Anti-Gangster Task Force.

An in-depth investigation is underway to uncover the full extent of the suspected terror funding network, officials added.

According to ATS officials, the detained suspects were allegedly in contact with suspicious individuals abroad and were planning to travel overseas.

They are also accused of providing financial support to terror-linked groups through donations and covert funding networks, officials said.

Several mobile phones, donation receipts, and other incriminating materials were seized during the raids.

All five are currently being questioned in Jaipur.

Those detained have been identified as Osama Umar from Sanchore (Jalore), Masood from Pipar (Jodhpur), Mohammad Ayub from Jodhpur city, Mohammad Junaid from Karauli, and Basir from Jaipur.

Sources said that Osama (also known as Usman) and his brother Ayub served as maulanas at local madrasas.

Ayub has reportedly lived in the Bombay Housing Scheme area of Jodhpur for the past 10'15 years and teaches at a madrassa in Chopasni village.

Masood, arrested from Pipar, is originally from Barmer district.

In Jodhpur, ATS officials detained Ayub Khan after seizing two mobile phones, donation receipts, and documents from his residence.

A search in Pipar city for Masood initially failed, as he had reportedly gone underground after sensing police action.

However, he was later apprehended, and additional documents and phones were confiscated.

Similarly, a raid at Jodhawas in Sanchore, led to the detention of Osama alias Anwar Khan, a resident of Ramsar village in Barmer, who serves as a mosque cleric in Sanchore.

Senior officials confirmed that all five detainees are suspected of channeling foreign funds to support radical activities.

The recovered digital devices are undergoing forensic analysis to trace communication and monetary links.

/IANS