A 22-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh’s Uttar Pradesh Saharanpur district has been arrested in Karnataka over an alleged conspiracy to target the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Suhail, was taken into custody during a joint operation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) from Bannikodu village in Karnataka’s Davangere district.
Officials said Suhail, a native of Gangoh in Saharanpur, had been living in Karnataka and working as a painter while allegedly hiding his identity.
Links to Pakistan Under Scanner
According to investigators, Suhail was arrested after intelligence inputs suggested he was in touch with people based in Pakistan. Authorities said his WhatsApp chats, suspicious group links, and Pakistani phone numbers were found on his mobile phone.
Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge confirmed the arrest and said the accused had come to the state looking for work.
“According to the preliminary investigation and the information available, that person from Uttar Pradesh had apparently come here in search of work. Some information has been detected from his mobile phone. So he’s been arrested,” Kharge told reporters.
He added, “It has emerged from the chats that he was in contact with some Pakistanis. But whether there has been any large-scale indoctrination or anything else will be known only after the investigation is completed.”
Lead Came From Earlier Terror Arrests
The arrest comes weeks after two other suspected men, identified as Zameer Khan and Alla Baksh, were arrested from Tumakuru and Davangere on June 4 for allegedly maintaining contact with a Pakistan-based individual and planning activities harmful to national security.
Sources said Suhail’s name surfaced during their interrogation, which led ATS teams to track and arrest him.
Weapons Photos and Audio Clips Recovered
Investigators claim they recovered photographs of Suhail posing with weapons from his mobile phone. These images have been sent for forensic examination.
Officials also said several audio clips were found in which Suhail allegedly discussed plans related to attacking the Ram Mandir. The agencies are now verifying the authenticity of those clips.
Davangere Superintendent of Police Shekhar HT said the arrest was made after intelligence agencies shared inputs about Suhail’s movements and activities.
Family Claims He Was Mentally Unstable
Suhail’s father, Liaqat, said his son had studied in a madrasa until Class 5 and worked as a daily-wage labourer before leaving for Karnataka on June 6 through a contractor for painting work.
Claiming innocence, Liaqat said, “I do not know what happened after he went to Karnataka. I have no information about his activities there.”
He also claimed Suhail was “mentally unstable” and wanted to become famous on Instagram.
