Man arrested for sharing photos of Dehradun locations with Pak handlers: Police

Police said Vikrant Kashyap, a resident of Jhajra, was in contact with Pakistan-based handlers who tasked him with sharing visuals of key locations, planning attacks in Dehradun

A 29-year-old man from Uttarakhand’s Premnagar area was arrested for allegedly engaging in anti-national and terror-related activities, with police claiming he was in contact with Pakistan-based handlers who tasked him with sharing visuals of key locations and planning attacks in Dehradun.

A 29-year-old man from Uttarakhand’s Premnagar area was arrested for allegedly engaging in anti-national and terror-related activities. (Representative photo)

The Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF), in a joint operation with Dehradun police under ‘Operation Prahar’, arrested Vikrant Kashyap, a resident of Jhajra in Premnagar, on the intervening night of April 9 and 10. They seized an illegal .32 bore pistol, seven live cartridges, and a spray paint can from him.

Kashyap, who had stayed in Punjab’s Nabha for the last two years, worked in truck body fabrication.

According to senior superintendent of police Ajai Singh, he was allegedly in contact with Pakistan-based terrorist and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agent Shahzad Bhatti and his associate Rana through social media platforms, including Instagram and WhatsApp.

“Initial inputs suggested that Pakistani handlers were attempting to recruit Indian youth as sleeper cells through social media. Based on technical surveillance and human intelligence, the accused was identified and kept under watch,” Singh said.

Police said Kashyap was tasked with sending videos and visuals of key locations in Dehradun to Pakistan. These locations included ISBT, police headquarters, and other important government buildings. He was lured with promises of a good amount of money and being settled in Dubai via Nepal.

“During interrogation, Kashyap revealed that he came in contact with Bhatti after he followed his social media posts related to Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala because he wanted to avenge the singer’s murder, being his fan. He later began receiving instructions to carry out reconnaissance of important locations in Dehradun. He was also told that he had to blow up these places using bombs, and that a person named Gurjar would provide him with the explosives, weapons and money,” he said.

Investigators said Kashyap was directed to spray “Tehreek-e-Taliban Hindustan (TTH)” at public places to create an atmosphere of fear. “He carried out such acts at multiple locations, including near Selakui, Advani bridge, and Jhajra, and shared videos with Pakistan-based handlers,” he said.

The SSP said that the location and video footage of the Jhajra police outpost were recorded and sent to Pakistan. “Additionally, the Pakistani handlers had assigned him the task of hurling a hand grenade at members of an organisation in Delhi and at a Supreme Court advocate,” he added.

Police said several crucial inputs have emerged from the recovered mobile phone, and further legal action is being taken in coordination with various agencies.

A case was registered at the Premnagar police station under relevant sections, the SSP said.