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Delhi police arrest Bhubaneswar man over suspected terror links
Delhi Police Special Cell arrests 22-year-old man from Bhubaneswar over suspected terror links, alleged online radical content and foreign funding probe.
The Delhi Police Special Cell has arrested a 22-year-old man from Bhubaneswar over suspected links with terrorist organisations and allegedly posting anti-national slogans on social media platforms, police said on Saturday.
Sheikh Imran was arrested from a rented accommodation in the Ganga Nagar locality of Unit VI in Bhubaneswar, police officers said.
According to police, the case originated in Delhi, where police were examining the online activity of several individuals suspected of disseminating radical content through platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and Signal. Interrogation of suspects in Delhi and forensic analysis of their digital communications led police to Odisha.
Police said Imran was unemployed and had allegedly become an active member of a closed online network that circulated content aimed at religious radicalisation.
“Imran allegedly remained in contact with Pakistan-based organisations during his stay in Delhi over the past two to three years. Digital records and financial transactions are being analysed to determine the extent of suspected links,” an officer said on condition of anonymity.
Imran relocated to Bhubaneswar about six to seven months ago, the officer added.
Police, however, clarified that no direct link has yet been established between him and any specific terror incident.
Imran was produced before the SDJM Court in Bhubaneswar, which granted transit remand to enable his transfer to Delhi for further questioning.
His father, Sheikh Amir, said his son had struggled academically and later worked in low-paying jobs, including as a food delivery worker. “He had failed his matriculation examination and had been trying to find work. We never suspected anything like this,” he said.
