19-year-old Raza was arrested on Wednesday, two days after the Surat Police Crime Branch arrested him, a resident of Nanded in Maharashtra, for his alleged involvement in threatening Hindu Sanatan Sanstha leader Updesh Rana in Surat city. The suspect, also known as Shakil Sattar Shaikh, was remanded in police custody until May. 24th by the court.
Police, while seeking 14-day custody of the accused, told the court that Raza was using a mobile phone with a SIM card activated in Pakistan to contact people in Pakistan, Nepal and Laos. They added that he was involved in brainwashing innocent youth and recruiting them.
Police said their investigation would look into how the suspect obtained the funds and whether he knew Rana and former Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nupur Sharma, who had threatened him through messages and phone calls.
This is the third person to be arrested in this case. The Crime Branch on May 4 arrested cleric Mohammed Sohel alias Maulvi Abubakar Timor (27) from Surat. Maulvi, who was teaching at a madrasa in Kator in Surat district, has been remanded in police custody till May 16.
Last week, Shehnaz alias Mohammad Ali Mohammad Sabir (25) was arrested from Muzaffarpur in Bihar in the case. He was taken to Surat on Saturday and produced before a local court the next day, where he was remanded in police custody till May 24.
Police said Maulvi was in regular contact with Shehnaz and hatched a plot to kill Hindu leaders for spreading hatred against the Prophet Muhammad. Police said Raza’s name came up during the interrogation of both defendants.
© Indian Express Private Limited
Originally uploaded to: May 16, 2024, 11:30 IST
