Mumbai: The investigation into the high-profile threat case involving businessman Imtiyaz Khatri, allegedly linked to action against illegal constructions in the Garib Nagar area of Bandra East, has reportedly thrown up several significant leads concerning the arrested accused, Mohammed Shafik Mohammed Akbar Lone, 39, according to police sources. Lone was produced before a holiday court on Sunday after his police custody ended. The court subsequently remanded him to judicial custody.
According to sources, the Mumbai Crime Branch’s preliminary investigation has raised suspicion that Lone may have been acting as a sleeper operative for Pakistan-based terror groups, rather than merely being a local operative. The alleged links are now being examined by the Crime Branch and other security agencies.
Sources said Lone had stayed in the Garib Nagar area for a few days after coming to Mumbai but spent most of his time in Jogeshwari, an area associated with underworld figure Munna Jhingada. Police are also investigating this angle and attempting to establish the nature of Lone’s contacts and activities during his stay in the city.
Pakistani contacts found on mobile phone : According to sources, a special technical team of the Crime Branch examining Lone’s digital footprint allegedly found several mobile numbers, contact details and encrypted chats linked to Pakistani terrorists and suspected handlers on his phone.
Investigators are examining allegations that Lone was providing his alleged handlers across the border with sensitive information about Mumbai and surrounding areas, VIP movements and inputs related to prominent personalities.
However, police suspect that Lone attempted to destroy digital evidence after sensing that he was likely to be arrested. Sources said that shortly before his arrest, he allegedly deleted chats, call logs, voice notes and media files from his mobile phone.
Phones sent to FSL for data recovery : To recover the deleted information, the Crime Branch has sent the mobile phones belonging to Lone and his wife to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), sources said. Forensic experts are examining the devices using digital-recovery and cyber-forensic techniques to determine whether deleted data can be retrieved.
Investigators are hopeful that the recovered data could help establish the identities of the alleged Pakistan-based handlers, their Indian contacts and the nature of the network, if any.
Wife also under scanner : Lone’s wife has also come under the scanner of the Crime Branch as part of the investigation.Police are probing whether she was aware of his alleged activities and whether she assisted him in financial transactions or communication using coded messages.
Investigators are examining the couple’s bank accounts, UPI transactions, digital wallets and suspected sources of foreign funding. Their call detail records (CDRs) are also being analysed to identify their contacts and communication patterns.
A senior police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the investigation was not being viewed merely as a case involving a threat call and that investigators were examining possible links with terror networks operating from across the border. Police are awaiting the forensic examination of the seized devices, which could provide further leads in the case.
Sources also said investigators have come across allegations that Lone’s father and one brother had links with Lashkar-e-Taiba, while another brother was allegedly associated with Hizbul Mujahideen. These alleged links are being verified as part of the ongoing investigation.
The Crime Branch is continuing to probe Lone’s alleged contacts, financial transactions, digital communications and possible links with individuals or organisations operating in Pakistan.
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