New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: The 22-year-old, Sheikh Imran, who was arrested from Bhubaneswar a week ago for his alleged links with a radical group, had allegedly conducted a recce of Red Fort and India Gate during a visit to New Delhi in December 2025.
He was among the four young men, who were allegedly radicalised online and believed in the emergence of a “lashkar from Khurasan” carrying black flags to wage “Ghazwa-e-Hind”, a prophesied battle for Islamic dominance in the Indian subcontinent and beyond. They had planned to target high-profile religious and national landmarks. Materials for a remote-controlled IED was also recovered from them.
Imran along with Mosaib Ahmad alias Sonu/Kalam (from Thane, Maharashtra, originally Azamgarh, UP); Mohammad Hammad (Mumbai, Maharashtra); and Mohammad Sohail (Katihar, Bihar), were produced in court on Saturday.
According to Delhi Police Special Cell DCP Praveen Kumar Tripathi, the group was actively radicalising and recruiting others through closed, encrypted social media platforms. They discussed jihad, khilafat (caliphate), and specific targets including the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, the Parliament building, military installations, and other sensitive locations.
Police recovered materials for preparing an improvised explosive device (IED), with two members collecting locally sourced components like ball bearings, nails, and electronics. One suspect reportedly planned to modify a remote-controlled toy car for the device. The module was also linked to terror financing efforts, including sharing QR codes for crowdfunding.
Imran allegedly posted a morphed photograph of the Red Fort with a black flag hoisted atop it in the group’s chat to inspire others after conducting the recce. He also promised to arrange arms and physical training, including horse riding, for module members in Odisha and solicited funds for the purpose, Tripathi added.
Born into a lower-class family in Bhubaneswar’s Ganga Nagar area, Imran studied only up to Class X before working as a security guard and later a delivery boy. Unemployed at the time of arrest, he reportedly began listening to online lectures by Pakistani clerics and scholars such as Tariq Jamil (Tareeq Jameel), Israr Ahmed, and Zakir Naik in 2024. He connected with Hammad and Ahmad via social media, forming a closed group focused on extremist discussions.
Meanwhile, Odisha’s Crime Branch Special Task Force (STF) has intensified its parallel probe into his local activities, background, and associates. Investigators are examining a suspected “honey-trap” angle, where Imran may have been lured by a fake social media account purportedly run by a Pakistani woman. His father had earlier expressed shock, stating he never imagined his son could be involved in anti-national activities.
