A 19-year-old youth from West Bengal has been detained in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi district for questioning over suspected links with Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), following a joint operation by central intelligence officials and local police, officials said.
The man, identified in reports as Mumtaz-ul-Malik, was detained late Saturday after intelligence inputs allegedly indicated that he had been in contact with social media accounts linked to the militant organisation. Investigators suspect that sensitive information may have been shared through online messages.
According to preliminary information reported by The Hindu, Malik had been working with his brother at a jewellery workshop in Saraf Bazaar, Kalaburagi, for around one-and-a-half years.
Police are examining his mobile phones and other digital devices to establish the nature and extent of the alleged communications. Some data is suspected to have been deleted, and investigators are scrutinising the devices as part of the inquiry.
Kalaburagi Police Commissioner S.D. Sharanappa told Hindustan Times that Malik was detained for questioning and that no formal complaint had been registered against him at that stage.
Police are expected to decide whether to register a First Information Report (FIR) after completing the preliminary inquiry.
Priyank Kharge Calls for Employee Background Checks
Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge said preliminary reports received by the state’s Internal Security Division indicated that two individuals had been in contact with a terrorist outfit through social media.
Kharge said investigators had established Malik’s contact with the outfit, while the involvement of the second individual was still being examined.
Describing it as the fifth or sixth such case reported recently, the minister said both individuals were from outside Karnataka.
Kharge said people from other states could not be prevented from coming to Karnataka for employment, as it was their constitutional right. However, he urged employers to conduct background checks before hiring workers.
He also said the government would assist employers with verification. After the festival season, he planned to convene a meeting with representatives of e-commerce platforms, delivery companies, logistics firms, factories and textile mills to develop a standard operating procedure for employee background checks.
Earlier Arrest in Kalaburagi
The latest detention comes about a month after the arrest of 23-year-old Mohammed Sameer, a native of Uttar Pradesh who was working at a slaughterhouse in Kalaburagi.
Sameer was arrested over suspected links with terrorist organisations. Investigators reportedly found images and videos allegedly associated with such groups on his mobile phone, along with information suggesting contact with individuals using foreign telephone numbers.
