Mumbai: Following the violent assault on two security guards in Mira Road’s Naya Nagar area, Maharashtra Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, on Tuesday said that the case appears to be of “self-radicalisation”. He further said that the case is being investigated by both Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
According to police officials, the accused, identified as Zaib Zuber Ansari, reportedly approached the guards stationed at an under-construction building near Wockhardt Hospital in the early hours of Monday, at around 4 A.M.
He is said to have asked them to recite the ‘Kalma’, a key Islamic declaration of faith, before launching the attack.
Fadnavis said: “This appears to be a case of self-radicalisation. Preliminary investigations suggest that he was radicalised and had a desire to attack members of the Hindu community in the name of ‘jihad’.”
“The case is currently under investigation by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and the state government is providing full cooperation to both agencies,” he added.
He also mentioned that the youth had been living in the United States and had recently arrived in the state.
Earlier, police said that the probe was handed over to the ATS after a “jihadi angle” emerged during the investigation.
Significantly, preliminary findings have suggested the presence of notes containing references to terms like “ISIS,” “lone wolf,” “jihad,” and “Gaza.”
Ejaz Khatib, a member of the building committee where the accused used to live, said that the residents came to know of the incident only through the media.
“He would have completed two years here on May 6. He was never seen here, so nobody will recognise him,” he said.
Khatib also added: “On Sunday, the committee members had called those people whose agreements were going to expire, including Zaib Zuber Ansari. He was going to leave from here but who knows what one is up to.”
He said that an atmosphere of fear has been created in the area due to the incident.
However, he emphasised that the committee had completed all formalities related to police verification before giving Zaib Zuber Ansari a flat on rent.
“I just got to know that he had even divorced his wife and was living separately from his family,” he mentioned.
A neighbour of the accused, Gauhar Ali Khan, also claimed to have never seen Zaib Zuber Ansari in the area.
“I do not recognise him by name, though I might identify him if I see his face. I have no idea what he used to do. Not just me, no one really knows much about him. What happened is very wrong. He has done a very wrong thing,” he told IANS.
Following his arrest, Ansari was produced before a court in Thane, which remanded him to police custody until May 4.
(IANS)
