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Man with suspected terror links detained in Bengaluru: CCB officials
Central Crime Branch (CCB) detained a man with suspected terror links, officials on Monday
Central Crime Branch (CCB) detained a man with suspected terror links, officials on Monday.
According to officials, the suspect, Akthar Hussain, was on the CCB’s watch for two weeks based on a tip-off and was taken into custody on Sunday evening, in a joint operation between CCB and a central government agency.
The Bengaluru police are yet to make an official statement regarding the case.
The accused, Akhtar Hussain, 23, a native of Assam, was living with four others in a rented house in Tilaknagar.
According to officials, the accused was in constant touch with a terror organisation through his Telegram account and social media. Even though officials didn’t reveal specifics, they claimed that the accused and his associates were planning some nefarious action in their chats.
According to the statement issued by the home minister’s office, “The Bengaluru police have taken a suspected terrorist into custody and are interrogating him. His accomplices are also being questioned in this regard. Recently, the city police arrested a man from Okalipuram who was connected with a terrorist outfit in Kashmir.”
A CCB official said that Akthar came to Bengaluru seven months ago and started working as a delivery partner at an online food delivery app. During this time, he was in constant touch with various organisations through social media sites and instant messaging apps. He had allegedly shown his interest in jihad, and he even planned to join an outfit in Jammu and Kashmir soon, the official added.
Police have seized his mobile phone and are questioning him for further information.
On Sunday evening, around 30 police personnel raided Akhtar’s house and detained him. Police also conducted a search at his house for an hour and reportedly found evidence, particulars of which were not shared by the CCB.
This is the second such arrest, and home minister Araga Jnanendra has commended the efforts of the police officers.
Karnataka police have begun collecting information on the people with whom, the alleged Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Talib Hussain, who was arrested in the city on June 3, was in touch, officers in the know of the developments said last Friday.
Hussain was arrested from Bengaluru’s Okalipuram area in a joint operation by Jammu and Kashmir Police and Rashtriya Rifles. The accused is a resident of the Kishtwar district in Jammu and Kashmir and is believed to be an active member of Hizbul Mujahideen since 2016, state police officials said.
“The internal security division of Karnataka police along with Bengaluru city police are investigating the case,” a police officer said.
Hussain came to Bengaluru a year ago and was staying in a mosque in the Okalipuram, they said. According to police, he used to work as an auto-rickshaw driver in the city.
Mosque authorities, however, claimed they were not aware of Hussain’s purported links with the terror outfit.
They claimed the suspected terrorist had come with his wife and child during the second wave of the Covid pandemic and refuted police’s claim that he would make provocative speeches during Friday prayers.
Officials of the internal security division said they identified some of the people with whom he was in constant touch and collecting their details. Teams are also vesting the location, where he had stayed and worked as well.
