Amaravati, Aug 17 A 42-year-old man arrested in Andhra Pradesh’s Sri Sathya Sai district was found to be actively connected to the Pakistan-backed social media groups, circulating jihadi propaganda, police said on Sunday.
Kotwal Noor Mohammad was arrested in Dharmavaram town on Saturday. Superintendent of Police (SP) V. Ratna confirmed the arrest at a news conference on Sunday.
A case has been filed under the stringent sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The SP said that the accused has been booked for promoting enmity between different groups and indulging in activities prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India.
According to the SP, he was found to be a member in six WhatsApp groups of banned organisations and was also active in 30 other social media groups of Pakistan.
Police also detained another person who was in touch with Noor Mohammad. The police were questioning him.
Noor Mohammad was presented before a magistrate, who remanded him to judicial custody. He was sent to Kadapa Jail. Noor Mohammad was working at a hotel in the town, making chicken biryani. He has been staying in the town for the last 15 years.
Police initially suspected him of being a passive member, but the preliminary investigation revealed that he was an active participant in discussions intended to glorify extremist ideology.
The police seized the accused’s mobile phone and a book in which he had allegedly written the messages and information received on WhatsApp groups.
The SP said the seized mobile had been sent to forensic laboratories to unravel his “digital footprint” to map his network. She did not rule out the possibility that the accused might have acted as a recruiter or sympathiser beyond the Sri Sathya Sai district.
The arrest was made on the information provided by counter-intelligence. The questioning also revealed that he was ready to go for training with the terrorist groups.
The SP stated that the incident proves how social media platforms are being mishandled and misused to negatively impact youth and gullible minds at the local level by terrorist groups.
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