From CA Aspirant To ISIS Operative: 20-Year-Old Man Arrested In Bhopal

A 20-year-old man from Bhopal has been arrested for having alleged links with an Islamic State (ISIS)-inspired terror module. The man was arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell which took help from the Madhya Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). 

According to police sources, the man, who was an aspiring Chartered Accountant (CA), hailed from a middle-class family. His father works as an accountant, while his mother is a homemaker.

READ: Probe Agency NIA Court Finds 2 Guilty In 2018 Coimbatore ISIS Case

But behind the ordinary façade of a student's life, investigators say, he was being radicaliSed online, slowly drawn into the web of ISIS propaganda and extremist ideology through encrypted social media groups.

An Earlier Brush With Law Enforcement

This was not his first brush with law enforcement. Sixteen months ago, the Uttar Pradesh ATS (Anti-Terrorism Squad) detained him for posting a threatening message to a judge involved in the Gyanvapi Mosque case, the same judge who had ordered an ASI (Archeological Survey Of India) survey of the disputed site in Varanasi.

Preliminary investigations reveal that the youth was active in multiple WhatsApp groups based in Lucknow linked to ISIS sympathisers.

While studying in Bhopal and preparing for his CA exams, he allegedly maintained constant contact with radical handlers online, absorbing their ideology and spreading their content.

READ: Bhopal, Gwalior Ban 'Carbide Guns' After 300 Suffer Eye Injuries On Diwali

Officials believe he was systematically indoctrinated by ISIS-linked recruiters, who exploited his curiosity and isolation during online engagement.

His phone and laptop have been seized, and digital forensic experts are analyzing his chats and online footprint to identify others connected to the network.

Second ISIS-Related Arrest From State

What makes this case even more alarming is that this is the second ISIS-related arrest from Madhya Pradesh within a month.

Earlier, the Delhi Police Special Cell had apprehended 26-year-old Kamran Qureshi from Biaora town in Rajgarh district, a man who worked as a typist for a lawyer and as a computer operator in a pathology lab.