Rohan Umak
ISIS handler held Jodhpur: The Jodhpur police on Wednesday arrested a handler suspected to be linked to the terrorist outfit ISIS for allegedly radicalising youth through social media platforms, they said. The accused, identified as Zeeshan (19), was arrested in a joint operation by the Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh’s Vijaywada police. The police said that incriminating videos associated with ISIS were recovered from his cell phone, which he allegedly used to post on social media groups to influence youth towards extremist ideology. Meanwhile, two more suspects have been detained for questioning, the police added.
Arrest linked to probe initiated in Vijaywada
Officials aware of the development said that the arrest stems from a recent probe initiated by the Vijaywada police in Andhra Pradesh, where a man having links with ISIS was taken into custody. During the probe, Zeeshan’s name emerged as a key contact. Following this, a police team reached Jodhpur, and in coordination with station house officer (SHO) Manak Ram Bishnoi, conducted a late night operation in the Nai Sadak area, laying hands on Zeeshan.
ISIS handler held Jodhpur: Zeeshan had erased data, videos recovered by forensic team
According to police, Zeeshan had attempted to erase all incriminating content from his cell phone before falling into their dragnet. However, the forensic experts managed to retrieve the deleted videos and files.
During the police probe, the cops learnt that Zeeshan was the administrator of a social media group named ‘BENX’, where he often shared short videos and voice notes centred on extremist ideology. The officials came to know that he was associated with the group for nearly two years.
Zeeshan took a ‘test’ before becoming group admin
The police further said that Zeeshan was assigned the role of group administrator only after clearing a so-called ‘test’ conducted by his superior. After he was deemed successful in the test, he actively engaged in recruiting and influencing other youths online. The investigating police officers also indicated that he was in contact with individuals already serving jail sentences in connection with ISIS-related cases, raising concerns about a wider network.
2 more suspects detained
As per police, they have also detained two additional suspects from Jodhpur for interrogation. While they have not been arrested, they were later taken to Vijaywada by the police for further interrogation as part of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) process.
