Terror suspect Mohammad Zoheb Khan, who was recently sent into the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), has revealed several crucial pieces of information during the interrogation. Arrested in the ISIS Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar terror module, Khan said that the name of his Afghanistan-based handler is Abu Ahmad and he came in the latter's contact through his brother Shoaib, said sources. Already on the list of India's most wanted terrorists, Shoaib is believed to be in Libya where he has joined ISIS. However, his family has refuted the charge, saying that he is a Muslim scholar and a university professor in Libya.
Link shared on Telegram app
During the questioning, Khan said that his brother had shared a link with him on the Telegram app two years ago. Upon clicking the link, he landed on Abu Ahmad's social media ID and took 'bayath' (pledging allegiance). According to sources, Khan revealed that he created more than 35 fake profiles with the same password to connect with his ISIS handler and recruit and radicalize youth on social media. Following instructions from Abu Ahmad, Zoheb also maintained contact with several ISIS sleeper cells in India, sources added.
Bid to dodge law agencies
To apparently dodge law agencies, Khan would delete call logs, and audio, video and text messages after each conversation. As per the investigation, he even succeeded in recruiting locals to join ISIS and shared provoking videos and materials with them. According to agencies, they have found several links of Khan's sister-in-law, who is a Dubai resident, with ISIS.
Further investigation is underway to extract digital data from Khan's mobile phone, laptop and other devices besides recovering deleted social media profiles. The effort aims to identify radicalized youth who were in contact with Khan, whether physically or through social media, and maybe also involved in suspicious activities, sources said.
