UP Man held for terror activities: The Delhi Police’s special cell on Sunday detained a man from the Kushinagar town in Uttar Pradesh (UP) over suspected links to terrorist activities, officials said. The accused, identified as Rizwan Ahmed, hails from the Chhawani area of Padrauna town in UP’s Kushinagar district. As per officials, Ahmed fell into their scanner during the course of an ongoing probe being conducted by the Special Cell. 

Team led by 10 cops

Senior officials told the media that a specialised team comprising 10 cops, led by Inspector Nishant Dahiya, reached Padrauna late Saturday evening and detained Ahmed. As of Sunday, he has been brought to Delhi for further interrogation. 

UP Man held for terror activities: Cops find incriminating material from Ahmed

Sources in Delhi Police said that the team recovered a substantial amount of incriminating material following Ahmed’s detention. His cell phone, laptop and other electronic gadgets have been seized and have been sent for forensic examination. Investigators, as per sources, are also examining Ahmed’s past links with the terror outfit Islamic State (ISIS). UP Police’s senior officials confirmed that his previous activities are under renewed scrutiny as part of a broader investigation. Ahmed, as per reports, had travelled to Mumbai nearly a decade ago in search of employment.

He was, however, arrested in 2017 in connection with a separate terror-related case and remained in imprisonment till 2023. At the time, authorities had allegedly seized explosive goods from his house, along with evidence of international communications indicating possible links with ISIS operatives. 

Vigilance beefed up in Kushinagar

Kushinagar Superintendent of Police (SP) Keshav Kumar said that the authorities are persevering in efforts to gather information about Ahmed’s kin and associates. He added that surveillance and vigilance measures have been stepped up across the district as a precautionary step. Officials added that Ahmed had been under surveillance for an extended period, with his movements closely tracked before his eventual detention. 

4 held by UP ATS in separate operation

In another related development, the Anti-terrorist Squad (ATS) of UP laid hands on four persons suspected to be part of a terror module. The accused, as believed by officials, were in contact with handlers based in Pakistan and were allegedly plotting attacks on key installations, including railway infrastructure. 

ATS officials said that according to investigations, it was learnt that the group communicated with their handlers through encrypted platforms such as Telegram, Signal and Instagram. The group’s mastermind, Saqib alias Devil from Meerut, was reportedly linked to international contacts, including numbers originating from Afghanistan.

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