A day after the arrest of 23-year-old food delivery executive Akthar Hussain from his rented house in Tilak Nagar, and his associate Zubair from Salem in Tamil Nadu, on suspicion that he was in part of a terror network, Bengaluru police have intensified investigation into their terror links.
Bengaluru Police Commissioner C.H. Pratap Reddy said that preliminary inquires with the two arrested men revealed that they were enamoured by jihadi literature, impressed by radical ideologies and were active on messaging platform Telegram discussing the same. However, investigation have so far not revealed any of their subversive activities or plans. We are trying to uncover their network, the places they have visited in the city, State or the country, he said.
Officials suspect that Akhtar used to communicate with a group of people from Assam, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, through telegram and other messenger apps. The officials are retrieving the chat history and questioning him and Zubair, his associate arrested from Salem in Tamil Nadu, where he was working in a garment factory. The accused might have traveled to many places including Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and other places to meet his contacts to possibly plan for their terror activities, which is being probed, police said.
Police are also questioning the four roommates of Akhtar Hussain in Tilak Nagar. The four were from his home town.
