Pune: A software engineer from Pune was arrested on Monday by Maharashtra’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) for his alleged links with Pakistan-based Al Qaeda and involvement in the radicalisation of youth.
The 33-year-old, identified as Zubair Hangargekar, was arrested from Pune’s Kondhwa area. Hangargekar is said to have been under surveillance for nearly a month.
He was produced before a special UAPA court after his arresr, which remanded him to police custody till November 4. Mr Hangargekar has been booked under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The accused, a B Tech graduate, is a software tester and database developer working with a Kalyaninagar-based IT firm. He is from Solapur and lives in Pune with his wife and two children, an official said.
He was returning from an event in Chennai when ATS teams tracked him down to Pune railway station. He was detained along with his associates, the police said.
“The arrest is in connection to an ongoing investigation stemming from raids conducted on October 9 across multiple locations in Pune, during which 19 laptops and 40 mobile phones were seized for forensic analysis. The searches had hinted at the existence of a wider terror network involving radicalised individuals,” an official said.
While an investigation is on into Hangargekar’s activities, the ATS said that more arrests may follow as digital evidence from seized devices is analysed.
“Searches at Hangargekar’s residence led to the recovery of incriminating Al Qaeda literature and digital material used for radicalisation. It is being ascertained whether the accused was in contact with only Al Qaeda operatives or members of other extremist organisations as well. We are also trying to find out what he intended to do with the material in his possession,” the official added.
There have been a series of operations across the country recently, targeting radical networks. Earlier this month, Md Adnan Khan alias Abu Muharib (19) from Delhi and Adnan Khan alias Abu Mohammad (20) from Bhopal, were arrested in an Islamic State (IS)-related case.
It came to be known that the two had been radicalised online and were reporting to a handler based in Syria, indicating the continued online resurgence of global terror groups such as ISIS and Al-Qaeda.
While these groups may not have strong physical bases in India, their digital outreach and radicalisation efforts have intensified. Their operations in India are allegedly coordinated from Syria.
