A software engineer, who was arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in Pune earlier this week over alleged links with Al-Qaeda, allegedly followed terror outfit's founder Osama Bin Laden's speeches.
The Urdu translation of a speech by Bin Laden was among the items that were recovered from Zuber Hungargekar's possession after he was arrested by Maharashtra's Anti-Terror Squad on Monday, sources said.
Photos of Hungargekar using an AK-47 rifle and making bombs have also been seized from his possession. Efforts are underway to ascertain his role in radicalising the youngsters, the sources added.
Hangargekar, who was under the ATS' surveillance since last month, was arrested from Kondhwa area under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The Special UAPA Court remanded him in police custody till November 4.
The police told the court that Hangargekar was allegedly involved in anti-national activities and planning terror strikes in Maharashtra and other cities.
The sources said Hungergekar, who is originally from Solapur, is well-educated and specialises in software testing and database development. He used to work at a software IT company in Kalyani Nagar and earned a good salary, before his arrest.
A few days ago, the ATS held large-scale raids across 25-26 locations in Kondhwa area as part of a terror funding case.
After examining the materials recovered during the raids, several clues pointed at Hungarkar's suspicious role, the sources said.
The recovered digital evidence and documents are being examined to ascertain the possibility of additional individuals connected to this network.
