A software engineer from Pune has been arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) for his alleged links with Pakistan-based terrorist group Al Qaeda and for purportedly engaging in activities aimed at radicalising Indian youth.
The accused, identified as Zubair Hangargekar, was taken into custody from Pune’s Kondhwa area on Monday after being under ATS surveillance for nearly a month. He was produced before a Special Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) Court, which remanded him to police custody till 4 November 2025.
According to ATS officials, Hangargekar is suspected of involvement in anti-national activities and of plotting terror strikes in Maharashtra and other Indian cities. During searches at his residence and workplace, investigators reportedly seized electronic devices and documents that the police believe were intended to aid in the radicalisation of young people.
A senior police officer said the material recovered indicated possible links to online extremist networks and suggested that Hangargekar may have been in contact with foreign handlers.
The arrest follows a series of recent actions by the Pune ATS targeting alleged terror modules in the region. On October 9, the squad raided multiple locations across Pune, seizing digital storage devices and papers pointing to what authorities described as a “wider terror network” operating in western India. More recently, on October 27, Pune Police detained four individuals from the Chennai Express at Pune Railway Station for questioning in connection with the same probe.
Hangargekar’s arrest also coincides with a larger national effort to dismantle online extremist recruitment channels. Earlier this month, the Delhi Police’s Special Cell and Madhya Pradesh Police jointly arrested Mohammad Adnan Khan alias Abu Muharib (19) from Delhi’s Sadiq Nagar and Adnan Khan alias Abu Mohammad (20) from Bhopal in an Islamic State-related case.
Investigations into that case have revealed that both men were radicalised online and were reporting to a handler based in Syria, underscoring the continued activity of global jihadist networks despite territorial losses in the Middle East.
Intelligence Bureau sources said the India operations of both Al Qaeda and ISIS appear to be coordinated from Syria, where ISIS has recently re-emerged with renewed strength. Data cited by counter-terrorism officials suggest that ISIS has already conducted 115 attacks worldwide this year, compared to 72 last year, signaling a possible resurgence of the group’s operational capacity.
The ATS continues to question Hangargekar to determine the extent of his alleged involvement and identify any associates within India or abroad.
(Source: NDTV)
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