New Delhi: A Dehradun man arrested for alleged links with Pakistani gangster Shahzad Bhatti had told the Uttarakhand police that he was instructed to attack right-wing outfits and a lawyer with grenades, ThePrint has learnt.
The lawyer, known for her speeches and anti-Muslim comments on social media, and who first made headlines when she appeared in a triple talaq case, also claims to be a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Minority Morcha. She was also in the news for inflammatory speeches in UP during a tour organised by right-wing outfit Hindu Rashtra Dal.
The Special Task Force (STF) and the Dehardun district police arrested the accused Vikrant Kashyap Friday morning after a period of surveillance and intelligence gathering, STF chief Nilesh Anand Bharne told ThePrint. A motor mechanic by profession, Kashyap is a native of Dehradun.
The arrest by Uttarakhand police comes at a time when state police forces, especially in north India, are closely watching individuals allegedly in contact with Pakistani nationals on social media.
A fugitive gangster from Pakistan, Bhatti reportedly works for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and is involved in plots to attack security establishments and prominent personalities in north India. He first made headlines for allegedly orchestrating a grenade attack at the Jalandhar residence of a UK-based YouTuber, Roger Sandhu.
‘Revenge’ for Moosewala killing
According to the FIR filed at Dehradun’s Prem Nagar police station, a copy of which ThePrint has seen, Vikrant was spotted by a police informer near Paras Pradhan Chowk in the state’s capital city.
Police raids unearthed a pistol in his possession. When asked why he fled after that, Kashyap confessed to being influenced by Bhatti and his reels and posts on revenge for the killing of Punjabi singer Siddhu Moosewala.
“When asked about the reason for running away when asked to show a licence for the recovered pistol, he apologised and said Sir, I have made a mistake. Through social media, I came into contact with a person named Shehzad Bhatti of Pakistan, who had posted reels and posts about taking revenge on those who murdered Sidhu Moosewala,” Kashyap allegedly told the police.
“I was impressed because I also liked Sidhu Moosewala very much. When he was murdered, I was very sad. Because of this, I started following Shehzad Bhatti’s Instagram account, and after a few days, we started talking through messages,” he was quoted as saying.
After their initial rounds of communication, Kashyap allegedly revealed that he had saved Bhatti’s contact as SB333 and that the Pakistani gangster had offered him money and other inducements to carry out his work.
Bhatti asked Kashyap to arrange a passport for him and help him travel to Dubai via Nepal, STF Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Singh told ThePrint.
During the probe, the STF also found that Bhatti also asked him for information on Delhi’s Sanatan Dharma Mandir.
“After this, I was given the task to ask for videos and footage of important buildings/institutions of Dehradun like ISBT, police headquarters and other important government buildings and was told that you have to blow up these places with bombs. A man named Gurjar will give you bombs, weapons and money. For this work, you will have to arrange for an old motorcycle for which Gurjar will give you money,” the FIR quoted Kashyap.
The STF has also found that the pistol and ammunition found in his possession was arranged for by Bhatti.
Kashyap also allegedly revealed that he was provided with spray paint to paint graffiti in the name of ‘Tehreek-e-Taliban-Hindustan’ (TTH) with the aim of popularising the outfit in India.
“I was asked to make a video and send it, so I made a video and sent it by writing (TTH) with a spray paint can at different places in the street near Subharti Hospital, on the wall of a factory in Selakui and near Advani bridge and near Balaji Mandir Jhajhra. Videos can still be found on my phone. Even today, I was going to do it at Vigyan Dham Government Institute when I was arrested,” Vikrant further said.
The Uttarakhand Police booked Vikrant Kashyap under section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, 2023 and section 25 of the Arms Act, 1959, along with section 3 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923 (OSA).
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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