Udaipur murder accused linked to the Islamic State also planned terrorist strikes in Jaipur

The two men who allegedly beheaded a tailor in Rajasthan’s Udaipur have links to proscribed terror outfit ISIS, police sources told India Today. The police also said that the accused were part of a conspiracy to carry out serial blasts in Jaipur on March 30.

According to the NIA sources, both arrested accused will be brought to Delhi for interrogation and their mobile and electronic devices will be sent for forensic examination. Investigating agencies suspect that the accused had taken inspiration from the videos of ISIS to carry out the murder.

The NIA team is taking help from cyber and forensic teams to get the details related to social media, including posts and chats, of both the accused. Their links with Dawat-e-Islam are also being probed.

Through Pakistan-based Dawat-e-Islami, they were associated with Al-sufa, a remote sleeper organisation of ISIS. One of the two accused, Mohammad Riaz “Attari” was the head of Al-sufa in Udaipur. He was also associated with ISIS terrorist Mujeeb, who was arrested from Tonk earlier. Riaz is married and has two children.

Riaz allegedly ran a hate campaign with the second accused in the murder case, Mohammad Ghouse, who is also his brother. According to police, Ghouse had gone to Karachi via Jodhpur in 2014, along with 30 others, and took training at Dawat-e-Islami for 45 days. After returning, the group allegedly used to brainwash youngsters. Police said that the accused were in touch with eight mobile numbers in Pakistan.

During questioning, the accused revealed that they had plans to kill another businessman in Udaipur, said police. Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken five more suspects into custody. According to sources, more arrests will be made in this case.

A tailor was murdered in broad daylight in Udaipur on Tuesday, sparking tensions in the city. The shopkeeper, named Kanhaiya Lal, was murdered by two men who chopped his head off and later recorded a video admitting to killing the man over a social media post in support of former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.

The police arrested the two accused in the Bheem area of Rajsamand district on Tuesday night. The accused were caught while they were trying to flee.

The Centre on Wednesday directed the NIA to take over the probe. The Ministry of Home Affairs had rushed a four-member team on Tuesday night after a preliminary probe suggested that the two accused, arrested by the Rajasthan Police, were influenced by ISIS.

Source: India Today