LUCKNOW, JUN 1 (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has arrested a man from Azamgarh for allegedly working for a terror network linked to Pakistani gangster Shahzad Bhatti and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), officials said on Monday.
The accused has been identified as Mohammad Sheikh, a resident of Khudadadpur village under Nizamabad police station limits in Azamgarh district, they said. He was arrested following intelligence inputs about alleged attempts by Pakistan-based handlers to radicalise Indian youths and recruit them for anti-national activities, the officials added.
In a statement, the ATS said it had received intelligence that “Pakistan, in collaboration with the ISI and terrorist organisations, was using the terror network of Pakistani gangster Shahzad Bhatti to connect with Indian youths through social media platforms, radicalise them and use them as sleeper cells for terrorist activities.”
According to the agency, electronic and physical surveillance led investigators to Sheikh, who was allegedly in contact with members of the network through WhatsApp and social media accounts linked to Pakistani and Dubai-based mobile numbers.
The ATS alleged that Sheikh had become “fully influenced by the ideology” of the network and was discussing jihad while encouraging his associates and other youths to join the group and engage in unlawful activities.
The agency claimed that Sheikh was being handled by Bhatti as well as two alleged associates identified as Ajmal Gurjar and Raza Pakistani.
According to the ATS, the handlers had assigned Sheikh a “trial mission” involving threats to a woman political leader from another state and had allegedly encouraged him to kill her before being inducted into a larger operation.
“Sheikh had arranged a 9 mm pistol and four live cartridges and was preparing himself to carry out the responsibility assigned by the Shahzad Bhatti gang,” the ATS alleged.
The agency further claimed that the accused was also attempting to recruit youths from his area into the network.
A case has been registered against Sheikh under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Arms Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
He was arrested in Azamgarh and sent to judicial custody on May 31, officials said.
Police said a 9 mm pistol, four live cartridges and a mobile phone were recovered from his possession.
The ATS said it would seek the accused’s police custody remand for further interrogation to identify other persons allegedly linked to the network in India and ascertain the extent of its activities.
