Davanagere (Karnataka): Arrested terror suspect Suhail made provocative gestures towards media personnel while being escorted by police for a medical examination at the Government Hospital in Harihara town of Davanagere district on Wednesday.
As he was being taken to the hospital and later escorted back to the police vehicle, Suhail, whose face was covered with a mask, waved at journalists and pointed his finger towards television cameras.
The incident occurred amid tight security outside the government hospital, where police had brought the accused for a routine medical examination.
Suhail was arrested on June 23 from Bannikodu village in connection with an alleged terror-related case. He has since been under the custody of investigating agencies.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been questioning Suhail as part of its ongoing investigation into the case. Authorities have not officially commented on the gestures made by the accused during his hospital visit.
Security personnel swiftly escorted Suhail away after the medical examination, while media personnel continued to cover the proceedings from outside the hospital premises.
It can be recalled that in a joint operation, police and Intelligence officials had arrested Suhail suspected of having links to Pakistan and involvement in terror-related activities in Karnataka’s Davangere district. The accused is a native of Uttar Pradesh and had recently arrived in Harihar taluk for painting work and was staying in a village under the jurisdiction of the Harihar Rural Police Station.
Police said preliminary investigations revealed information related to suspected terrorist activities on his WhatsApp account.
State Home Minister Priyank Kharge confirmed the arrest and said a case has been registered at the Harihar Rural Police Station. Further investigation is underway
Investigators found suspected terror-related content on his WhatsApp and Instagram accounts, and he was allegedly in contact with handlers and suspects based in Pakistan. Preliminary police investigations indicate he had allegedly planned to carry out an explosion at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
Suhail was part of WhatsApp groups named “Rana bai” and “Juttu”, allegedly used by individuals involved in subversive anti-national activities. The police have also recovered photographs of Suhail posing to cameras with weapons.
Suhail, a native of Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh had arrived in Harihar just two weeks earlier and police are tracking 9 other individuals who reportedly travelled to the region with him.
A detailed examination of his mobile phone has yielded several clues. It has also emerged that he was planning to carry out terror activities in multiple parts of the country.
The suspect’s WhatsApp, Instagram, and other social media accounts indicate an anti-national mindset, according to investigators.
Police have also found that phone numbers from Pakistan were saved in his mobile contacts under the name “Rana Ji.”
In addition, audio recordings of conversations with several individuals have been seized, which are said to contain discussions about plans to carry out terror-related activities in different parts of the country.
(IANS)
