Latest news with #MaharashtraAnti-TerrorismSquad
Indian Express
2 days ago
- General
- Indian Express
Day after ATS raids at Padgha, two FIRs lodged; no arrests yet
A day after the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) conducted raids at 22 locations at Padgha near Bhiwandi, two FIRs were registered by the probe agency under sections of the Arms Act over a chopper and sword seized during the raids. The agency did not give the names of the accused against whom the FIRs have been registered. An officer said they have seized 19 mobile phones during the raids, which have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Kalina for data extraction. The officer said they had received information that while Saquib Nachan, who as per the NIA is the head of the Maharashtra module of ISIS, was lodged in Tihar jail and his son Shamil at Taloja prison since 2023, some Padgha locals, including some of Nachan's relatives, had 'become active again and were carrying out anti-national activities'. It was based on this information that the ATS, along with Thane (rural) police, conducted raids at 22 houses in the area. 'The main information will come from the 19 mobile phones that have been seized. We suspect some of the data was deleted, hence all these phones have been sent for forensic extraction that will reveal all the content. This will give us clarity on whether anything anti-national was brewing there,' the officer said. Nachan, who is a resident of Boriwali in Padgha, was arrested along with his son in 2023 by the NIA for allegedly delivering provocative speeches aimed at inciting anti-national sentiments, brainwashing people and recruiting them in terrorist groups. After receiving specific intelligence, warrants were duly secured from the court and the raids were conducted at nearly two-dozen places, including the home of Nachan's elder brother Aquib. The raids, which began around 4 am Monday and continued until the afternoon, were carried out by over 250 police personnel, including 20 ATS teams. The ATS claimed several suspicious articles were recovered, including SIM cards, mobile handsets, lethal weapons, including swords and knives, suspicious property-related documents and printed material allegedly meant for radicalising and brainwashing youth.
Mint
5 days ago
- Mint
How Thane-based engineer ‘spied' for Pakistan: A Facebook request, honey-trapping, sketches about warships, submarines
The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested a Thane-based engineer on May 29 on charges of providing sensitive information to a Pakistani intelligence agent, who allegedly honey-trapped him on social media, officials said. The accused was identified as 27-year-old Ravindra Murlidhar Verma. According to news agency PTI, he is a resident of Kalwa in neighbouring Thane city in Maharashtra, an official said on Thursday. He was reportedly working as a junior engineer in a defence technology firm. The official said that Verma, as an employee of the defence technology company, "had access to enter the Naval Dockyard in south Mumbai and he used to work at the naval ships. Verma reportedly had been in contact with the Pakistani agent since November 2024. The official said that Verma was honey-trapped by a Pakistani agent who posed as a woman and befriended him on Facebook. According to police, he was lured into passing classified information after being honey-trapped by a Pakistani agent posing as a woman on Facebook. "He was found to have shared sensitive information about a vital installation with the 'Pakistan Intelligence Operative' (PIO) through WhatsApp from November 2024 to March 2025," the official said. According to officials, Verma had been in contact with the Pakistani agent since November 2024. They said Verma had received friend requests on Facebook from users with account names as Payal Sharma and Ispreet in 2024, which he accepted. While chatting with him, both these account users -- posing as women --initially portrayed that they were from India and worked on a project for which information about warships was required, the official said. "After a few sessions of conversations, they honey-trapped him and started digging sensitive information about vital installations," he said. Official said Verma used to share all the sensitive information with Pakistani operatives. "He was very much aware of what he was doing and to whom he was passing on the sensitive information. He was getting money in exchange for providing the information," he said. Police alleged that the Thane-based engineer shared sensitive information about warships and submarines to the Pakistani intelligence operative through sketches, diagrams and audio notes. They said that Verma received money from various bank accounts in India and abroad in return. "During the investigation, it came to light that Verma shared sensitive information knowingly and intentionally multiple times. In exchange for the information, he received money from various bank accounts from India and abroad," an official told PTI on Friday. It was also found that he had shared information about various warships and submarines to the Pakistani Intelligence Operative (PIO), another official said. The official said that Verma worked as a junior engineer with a defence technology firm and, by virtue of his work, he had access to the Naval Dockyard in south Mumbai. "He would also go on board naval ships and submarines," the official said. "During his visits to the Naval Dockyard, he was not allowed to carry a mobile phone inside. Therefore, after finishing his work there, he used to share sensitive information about warships and submarines by making sketches or diagrams. Sometimes, he would share information through audio notes also," the official added. "The ATS suspects that he also shared the names of submarines and warships to the Pakistani agent," he said. A case was registered against him and two more persons who were in contact with him, under section 3 of the Official Secrets Act that deals with espionage, and section 61 (2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). According to PTI, officials of the ATS Thane unit took Verma into custody on Wednesday based on a tip-off. "After interrogation, Verma was placed under arrest for his alleged involvement in the crime," the official said. He was produced before a court, which sent him to the ATS custody till Monday. "The ATS is examining his mobile phones and gadgets used in sharing vital information through the social media platform with the PIO," the official said, adding that, "Further probe in the case was underway."
Hindustan Times
7 days ago
- Hindustan Times
‘Honeytrapped' Thane man arrested for sharing sensitive information with Pakistan: Report
The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested a Thane-based man for providing sensitive information to a Pakistani intelligence agent, who honey-trapped him on social media, PTI reported on Thursday, citing officials. The man has been identified as 27-year-old Ravindra Murlidhar Verma, a resident of Kalwa in neighbouring Thane city. According to officials, Verma works as a junior engineer with a firm involved in defence technology. "Verma was working as a junior engineer with a firm involved in defence technology. As an employee of the company, he had access to enter the Naval Dockyard in south Mumbai and he used to work at the naval ships," an unidentified official was quoted as saying. The official added that Verma was honey-trapped by a Pakistani agent who posed as a woman and befriended him on Facebook. Also Read | Rajasthan government employee held over suspicion of 'spying' for Pakistan He was found to have shared sensitive information about a vital installation with the 'Pakistan Intelligence Operative' (PIO) through WhatsApp from November 2024 to March 2025, the official added. Verma was arrested by the Thane unit of the ATs based on a tip off. After interrogation, he was placed under arrest for his alleged involvement in the crime. The 27-year-old has been charged under section 3 of the Official Secrets Act that deals with espionage, and section 61 (2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). According to PTI, he was produced before a court, which sent him to the ATS custody till Monday. Also Read | NIA arrests CRPF personnel in Delhi for allegedly spying for Pakistan The ATS is also examining his mobile phones and gadgets used in sharing vital information through the social media platform with the Pakistani agent. Earlier, a 20-year-old college dropout was arrested in Kangra on suspicion of spying after sensitive and objectionable content was found on his mobile phone. This was the first such arrest in Himachal Pradesh as part of a larger crackdown on espionage networks after Operation Sindoor, launched by India on May 7 in response to an April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people. Since then, at least seven suspects have been arrested in Punjab and Haryana for alleged spying activities for Pakistan.
The Hindu
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Maharashtra ATS claims Kerala journalist is ‘linked to terror outfits'; booked under UAPA
The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad took over the probe against Kerala-based independent journalist Rejaz M. Sheeba Sydeek on Thursday. The NIA court was informed that the accused, who has been in police custody for a week, allegedly has links to banned terror outfits like the Hizbul Mujahideen and JKLF. Cases under Sections 38 and 39 of the UAPA have been filed. The police also said that he allegedly worked for a front of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) and was a part of their core WhatsApp group. Several incriminating items have allegedly been found. They also sought 10 days' police custody. But the special NIA court rapped the Maharashtra Police for its failure to provide seizure documents. The evidence was seized from Kerala on May 11. The court, while granting three days' police custody of the accused, asked the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad to produce the seizure documents and panchnama. 'The court gave them a lashing and asked them why the seizure panchnama was not produced though the evidence was seized on May 11,' a lawyer told The Hindu. Meanwhile, top government sources told The Hindu that the female friend who was with him at a hotel in Nagpur is also under the scanner. 'The girl is studying law in Nagpur at present and hails from Bihar. The accused has claimed that he came to Nagpur to meet her. We have so far only questioned her. But we think that she is more revolutionary. She is likely to be booked soon. She is in contact with many more people. So far, she has cooperated with the questioning whenever we have called her,' official sources said. Several investigating agencies have already started looking into the case. The Kerala ATS, the Maharashtra ATS, the Intelligence Bureau, and State and Central intelligence units have started digging into the matter, top sources told The Hindu. Maoists links alleged 'A lot of things have been found in the last few days. We have not yet been able to access the material seized in Kerala, though. Among the material seized from him, we have found social media pages of banned organisations, and we also found evidence of propaganda that he initiated in support of the CPI (Maoist). We have found a secret document of the JKLF that talks about what should be done as a comrade. He has written about the Kashmir issue. There are previous cases against him in Kerala. There is no doubt that he has Maoist links. We are in the process of finding out if his work was only propaganda or something else,' an official said. 'He is in touch with Maoist leader and CPI (Maoist) central committee member Murali Kannempilly. He has admitted to this. He is a part of the core group formed by Kannempilly and is also a part of his WhatsApp group. We have found that he works for a front of the CPI (Maoist),' the official said. The police are now probing why Mr. Sydeek was in Pune in April 2023 and whether he has any association with Kabeer Kala Manch. They suspect that he met Elgar Parishad's Santosh Shelar, alias Painter, and Prashant Kamble, alias Laptop. Both of them are under detention at present.
Indian Express
15-05-2025
- Indian Express
7 yrs ago, ‘much-wanted Maoist' featured in a YouTube film as Raigad tribals' ‘local hero'
On the run for 15 years, alleged Maoist operative Prashant Jalinder Kamble alias Laptop (44), who was arrested this month from Pune, had not only changed his identity but had also appeared in a short film 'Ulgulan – Everyday Hero', posted on YouTube on March 10, 2018. The three-minute film, still available online, was on 'Sunil Jagtap Sir', the name Kamble went by, for his work with children in the tribal areas of Khalapur in Raigad district of Maharashtra. Incidentally, authorities were unaware of this film. His arrest on May 4 by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has shocked the villagers of Khalapur taluka who knew Kamble as Sunil Jagtap. He has been booked by ATS under various sections, including the stringent UAPA, in connection with a 2011 case of spreading the ideology of the banned CPI (Maoist) and attempts to recruit cadres from cities. On Tuesday, the ATS told a Mumbai Sessions Court that Kamble took part in the farmers' agitation of 2021 and also worked closely with top CPI (Maoist) operative Milind Teltumbde, who was gunned down in November 2021. The ATS said it wanted to question Kamble how he managed to obtain documents such as Aadhaar, PAN, voter ID cards and a passport in the name of Sunil Jagtap. The court extended Kamble's ATS custody until May 19. Officials said Kamble had settled in Donvat village in Khalapur, where he had rented a shop to offer services such as installation of CCTVs, and the repair of computers, laptops. According to police, his skill with electronics was what earned him the nickname 'Laptop'. His Aadhaar card mentions his name as Sunil Chandrakant Jagtap, a resident of Khanav village, located a few kilometres from Donvat. 'When he arrived here seven years ago, he said he was a native of Solapur, but had left home and family to work with tribal children. He was very sincere in his work, which is why some people made a film on him. He also joined an anti-superstition group,' one of the village residents recalled. 'Sometimes, Sunil (as he was known to them) would go away for a while, but we thought he was out for work.' Former Donvat sarpanch Sandesh Patil said they were stunned that he was a wanted Naxalite. Sandip Gaikwad, an office-bearer of the anti-superstition outfit that Kamble joined around 2018, said they never suspected anything. Sandeep Patil, the chief of Maharashtra's Anti Naxal Operations, said Kamble's 'modus operandi' was not uncommon among Maoists, and that they often led double lives. Stating that no one should doubt Kamble's Maoist links, Patil said: 'He is a hardcore Maoist and refused to surrender under a government scheme. He operated as per the instructions of Milind Teltumbde, and was associated with armed cadres of the Korchi Kurkheda Dalam in Gadchiroli and was also active in urban areas.' Police suspect Kamble may have 'settled down' in recent years as part of the CPI (Maoist) strategy to spread the banned group's activities in the Western Ghats. More than 14 years ago, Kamble, who hails from Pune and is a graduate, left his home in the Tadiwala road slum and never returned, according to police. A missing person's complaint was filed by his family in January 2011. His brother said he did not even come for their mother's funeral recently. The family said Kamble was associated with a Pune-based cultural group described by police as 'a frontal organisation of Maoists'. Police said Santosh Shelar alias 'Painter', also from the Pune slums, went missing with Kamble. Shelar was arrested in January 2024 for alleged links with Maoists. Chandan Haygunde is an assistant editor with The Indian Express with 15 + years of experience in covering issues related to Crime, Courts, National Security and Human Rights. He has been associated with The Indian Express since 2007. Chandan has done investigative reporting on incidents of terrorism, left wing extremism, espionage cases, wildlife crimes, narcotics racket, cyber crimes and sensational murder cases in Pune and other parts of Maharashtra. While working on the 'Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Fellowship on Tigers, Tiger Habitats and Conservation' in 2012, he reported extensively on the illegal activities in the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. He has done in-depth reporting on the cases related to the Koregaon Bhima violence in Pune and hearings of the 'Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry'. ... Read More
