Gujarat News: A man was taken into custody on Saturday in Surat, Gujarat, for allegedly plotting the assassination of a Hindu organization’s head and threatening the chief editor of the Sudarshan television channel, Telangana MLA Raja Singh of the Bharatiya Janata Party, and the party’s previous spokesperson, Nupur Sharma, in collusion with his handlers in Pakistan and Nepal, according to a senior police official.
The Accused Behind the Alleged Assassination Plot
Anupam Singh Gehlot, the commissioner of Surat police, identified the accused who was arrested as Maulvi Sohel Abubakr Timol (27), a manager at a thread factory who provided Muslim children with private instruction on Islam.
Gehlot claimed that he was discovered to have been plotting with individuals from Pakistan and Nepal to offer a Rs 1 crore “supari” (contract for killing) and obtain weapons from Pakistan in order to murder Hindu Sanatan Sangh national president Upadesh Rana.
Digital Evidence Unveiled
“After his detention, we found several objectionable contents in his mobile phones, including the one regarding offering Rs 1 crore for the murder of Updesh Rana. For this, he was in continuous touch with persons/numbers from Pakistan and Nepal,” Gehlot told PTI.
“Timol was also found to be involved in issuing threats to Rana in March this year. The accused used a virtual number from Laos to issue threats to the target by connecting numbers from Pakistan and Nepal in his group call,” he said.
“Photos and other details found on his phone number show they (accused and associates) were discussing on a secure app about targeting and threatening editor-in-chief of Sudarshan TV Suresh Chavhanke, political leader Nupur Sharma, and Hyderabad MLA Raja Singh. For this purpose, they were planning to collect funds and procure weapons,” Gehlot said.
Maulvi’s Radicalization and Plans for Violence
According to Gehlot, these individuals are extremely radicalized and have discussed killing Hindutva leaders as well as the murder of Kamlesh Tiwari, the president of the Hindu Samaj Party, who was killed in Lucknow on October 18, 2019.
The official stated that Surat police was enlisting the aid of other agencies to determine whether Timol had any more targets in mind, adding that chat logs indicated Timol wanted to kill Rana as soon as possible in order to sabotage communal harmony during the current general elections.
Maulvi’s Alleged Contact with Handlers from Pakistan and Nepal
According to a crime branch release, the accused was approached by two people named Dogar and Shehnaz, whose phone numbers were from Pakistan and Nepal, respectively, during their preliminary questioning.
“Around a year and half ago, the two persons contacted the accused through social media on phone numbers belonging to Pakistan and Nepal. They instigated the accused by claiming the Nabi had been mocked by Hindu organisations in India and these need to be straightened out,” the release said.
Maulvi’s Use of International SIM Card and Social Media for Threats
According to the police, Timol obtained an international SIM card from Laos to conceal his identity. He also activated a business account on social media, which he utilized to threaten Rana. He posted anti-Hindu speeches on the chat app, threatening to kill Rana just like Kamlesh Tiwari. According to the police, someone in his chat group sent Rana’s picture along with an offer of Rs 1 crore to have him killed.
“The accused used social media to spread communal animosity, to upload photos of the national flag of India and make lewd comments in posts or videos about Hinduism. He created a false electronic record and ordered arms from foreign handlers,” the release said. According to the release, the detained accused had communication with people who had Whatsapp numbers with codes from Pakistan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, and Laos, among other nations.
Maulvi Charged Under IT Act and Indian Penal Code Sections
According to the official, he was charged under the Information Technology Act, Indian Penal Code sections 153 (A) (engage in wanton vilification or attacks upon the religion, race), 467, 468, and 471 (related to forging documents or electronic records), and section 120 (B) for criminal conspiracy.
