Mira Road Stabbing: Accused Spared Elderly Guard As ‘Waste Of Effort,’ Following Banned ISIS Tactical Manuals

Mumbai: During questioning by a joint team of the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA), accused Zaib Ansari (31) revealed that he had purchased the knife used in the attack, which left two security guards injured, from a store in a mall in Mira Road on Friday, officials said.

Ansari told investigators that the purchase of the knife was the first step in a deliberate “lone-wolf” mission, officials said. Far from being a spontaneous act, he admitted to spending nearly two days scouting multiple locations to identify a vulnerable target.According to investigators, Ansari said his objective was to carry out an attack significant enough to draw the attention of the ISIS terror outfit, in the hope that it would “notice” him and validate his extremist leanings.

Following the lead, the ATS conducted a panchnama at the store on Wednesday evening. Officials also secured the CCTV footage showing Ansari purchasing the knife. This digital and physical evidence is now being used to reconstruct the 48-hour scouting period that preceded the Monday morning attack.

The cold-blooded nature of Ansari's planning was most evident in his selective choice of victims during the assault.While he attacked security guards Rajkumar Mishra(48) and Subrato Ramesh Sen(31) after asking their religion, he deliberately spared a third guard, 73-year-old Hari Singh, after a similar exchange.

Ansari reportedly told investigators that he was following specific ISIS extremist “guidelines”, which prioritise targeting younger individuals to maximise long-term impact by affecting a family’s future and the “upcoming generation”. According to this logic, he claimed, attacking the elderly was considered a “waste” of effort.

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Officials said that such ideas have appeared in extremist propaganda material, including digital publications like Dabiq and Rumiyah, which have outlined that killing the "young" of an enemy population ensures that there is no one left to carry on the values, religion, or resistance of the parents.Officials added that this apparent adherence to a tactical blueprint suggests a high level of indoctrination, with Ansari attempting to mirror the so-called “rules of engagement” he had consumed through online propaganda.

According to sources, investigators have also found that Ansari had been consuming a wide range of extremist material linked to ISIS and Al Qaida, including banned digital publications such as Voice of Khurasan, Dabiq and Rumiyah. Security officials are examining this pattern because these materials utilize "The Management of Savagery" framework, which justifies extreme violence through several psychological levers.

During questioning, Ansari allegedly told investigators that every non-Muslim is a “kafir”.

The ATS has also obtained details of Ansari’s bank accounts, which show that his father had been transferring money regularly over the past few months. These funds were used to cover Ansari’s daily expenses and the rent for his residence.

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