The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested two individuals who were allegedly planning a major terror attack in the country. One accused was apprehended from Gujarat, while the other was arrested from the Sakinaka area of Mumbai.
The accused have been identified as Irfan Pathan (22), a resident of Siddhpur in Patan district of Gujarat, and Murshid Sheikh (21), who was arrested from Mumbai and is originally from Bihar.
According to ATS officials, Irfan holds an MSc degree in Chemistry. Despite his educational background, he was allegedly drawn towards radical ideology through social media and gradually became fully radicalised. Investigations have revealed that he aspired to establish an extremist organisation similar to ISIS in India and allegedly considered Hindus as his enemies.
The second accused, Murshid Sheikh, has studied up to Class 9. He too was reportedly influenced by radical networks through social media platforms and came in contact with Irfan online. Sources said both accused had been in constant communication over the past 5–6 months and were jointly working on executing a major conspiracy.
ATS sources further revealed that the duo was allegedly conspiring to target leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and office-bearers associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
During the investigation, it emerged that the accused were working on plans to procure weapons. Chats recovered by the ATS indicate that they were discussing carrying out a large-scale attack once they managed to arrange arms.
Officials also found that the accused were operating multiple groups on WhatsApp and Telegram, which were allegedly being used to run an anti-national network. These groups were reportedly used to spread hate messages and discuss plans related to unlawful activities.
Examination of chats revealed the use of derogatory terms like “kafir” for people of other religions, along with open propagation of hate speech.
The ATS stated that the chats clearly reflect anti-national intent. Both accused were allegedly involved in planning extremist activities for a considerable period.
Further investigation is underway, and the ATS is interrogating the accused to identify other members linked to the network and to determine the scale of the conspiracy.