AHMEDABAD: A 19-year-old UP native living incognito in Faridabad and suspected of preparing for an attack on Ram temple in Ayodhya was arrested in a joint operation Sunday, soon after Gujarat police’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) got wind of the alleged ISI-engineered plot and teamed up with Haryana’s Special Task Force (STF) to bust the alleged terror network.
The arrest of Abdul Rehman Abu Bakar, who had been lying low in Faridabad under the assumed identity of Shankar, led investigators to a suspected accomplice and a hideout where they found two hand grenades provided by ISI handlers through a network linked to the Islamic State of Khorasan Province.
A bomb disposal squad safely defused the explosives in Faridabad, ATS sources said. Rehman is from Milkipur near Faizabad, on the southern bank of Saryu, about 6.5km from Ayodhya. He had been living in Faridabad and working part-time as an autorickshaw driver and an employee at a local family-run eatery.
Rehman had been allegedly assigned the task of reconnaissance of sensitive locations, including Ram temple and administrative offices in UP. A pen drive seized during the raid was found to contain what investigators said was “incriminating material”, including blueprints of the proposed attack, potential targets and instructions from his handlers. Investigators suspect the attack was to happen “very soon”.
Top ATS officials were summoned to Delhi for a security briefing soon after the arrests. Sources in home department said central intelligence agencies have started working with state forces to dismantle any sleeper cells linked to this plot. Haryana STF is looking to identify local contacts, sleeper cells, and logistics support for the arrested suspects. “More arrests are expected soon,” a source said.
