A software engineer from Pune, Zubair Hangargekar, has been arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) for alleged links with Al Qaeda and involvement in radicalising youth, officials said on Monday.
Hangargekar, who had been under ATS surveillance for over a month, was arrested from Kondhwa area and produced before a special UAPA court, which sent him to police custody till November 4.
According to police officials, he was booked under sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for allegedly engaging in anti-national activities and plotting terror attacks in Maharashtra and other Indian cities.
During a search at his residence, ATS officers reportedly found electronic devices and other material believed to be used for radicalising young people.
Earlier, on October 27, Pune Police had detained four suspects from the Chennai Express at Pune Railway Station as part of related investigations. On October 9, multiple raids were also conducted across Pune, leading to the seizure of digital evidence and documents hinting at a “wider terror network in the region”.
This latest arrest follows similar operations where two men Md Adnan Khan alias Abu Muharib (19) from Delhi and Adnan Khan alias Abu Mohammad (20) from Bhopal were arrested for their alleged connections with the Islamic State (IS). Police said that the investigations revealed that both were radicalised online and were allegedly in contact with a handler in Syria.
