All the police stations across Maharashtra and security agencies have been asked to stay on high alert on Independence Day. This development comes after multiple intelligence inputs have alarmed the agencies that ISIS-linked terrorists along with some local terror outfits have been planning to strike the sensitive and prominent establishments in the state.
According to a Times Now report citing sources, security forces in Mumbai and nearby areas have been asked to stay on high alert following multiple intelligence inputs pointing towards a possible terror attack during the celebrations of the 77th Independence Day, on 15 August.
According to reports, a terrorist named Shahnawaz Alam is still at large. He is believed to be hatching a plan to attack prominent places in the state.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been probing the Islamic State (ISIS) module working out of India. In connection to this case, the Central agency had arrested 10 terror suspects, however, one accused named Shahnawaz Alam is still absconding. It is claimed that he is a trained bomb-making expert and has been carrying out his blast trials in the forested areas of Maharashtra.
DCP Mumbai Police Vishal Thakur stated that intelligence inputs, shared with security agencies, reveal that terror groups, including the ISIS module in India and a local terror outfit named Al-Sufa, were planning attacks in crowded areas on August 15, possibly using “unclaimed vehicles”.
The Mumbai Police DCP also urged residents to remain vigilant and be attentive to any unusual individuals or activities.
Earlier, on the 18th of July, the Pune city police arrested Mohammed Imran Mohammed Yusuf Khan (23) and Mohammed Yunus Mohammed Yakub Saki (24). Both of them are graphic artists and residents of Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh. They were arrested for attempting to steal a motorcycle, but later during the probe, it was found that they were involved in the terror group Al-Sufa.
The incident came to light at around 2.45 a.m. when a patrolling team from the Kothrud police station noticed that three men were trying to steal a two-wheeler. After a chase, the cops arrested them.
However, the police could not arrest their accomplice, Mohammed Shahnawaz Shafiurrehman Alam (31) who managed to flee while being taken for a house search. Alam is said to be a resident of Hazaribagh, Jharkhand.
During a search operation at their Pune residence, Police teams found a number of suspicious items, including a box containing “drone material,” a pistol pouch, a live cartridge, some “white coloured pills,” fake Aadhaar cards, and various other documents.
Click here, to know further details about the arrests and seizures in regard to this terror module.
Earlier, they had fled Ratlam when their name had surfaced in the investigation into the terror case in which some suspected Al-Sufa members had been arrested by Rajasthan police in Ratlam. During interrogation, they revealed that they had planned to execute bomb blasts in crowded places in Jaipur and Pune by placing explosives in motorbikes.
