Mumbai: A 27-year-old software engineer from Madhya Pradesh has been picked up by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) for his suspected association with Iraq and Syria based terrorist outfit Islamic State (IS).
According to ATS officials, Awesh Sheikh was picked up from his residence in Khargon village in M.P. on Monday night. He is yet to be arrested and brought to Mumbai, they said, adding the suspect is being questioned for the second day.
ATS sources said Sheikh had been under the scanner for several months due to his association with suspected radical elements on social networking websites and his online interaction with people suspected to be affiliated with the IS. “Sheikh has been an active member of online discussion forums and his internet activity has been under watch. We recently learned that he made a short visit to Mumbai, after which we sent a team to pick him up,” an ATS officer said.
The same forums are also populated with members who are in touch with users in Syria and other Middle East nations, and one of the groups sees a lot of radical content being posted on a daily basis, said sources.
Sheikh, during the questioning, claimed he had come to Mumbai for four to five days last week to look for a job as he has been unemployed for some months. He said he had with his in-laws. The ATS is also talking to his in-laws and verifying his claims. The agency has also approached the National Investigation Agency and other central intelligence agencies on inputs about possible terrorist activity in Mumbai.
The ATS has also seized Sheikh's laptop and cell phone and is analysing their contents. His activities on the internet have been particularly significant in light of the recent blast in Ujjain, M.P., and investigators are verifying if Sheikh was in touch with the suspect killed in the encounter following the blast.
