- By Vivek Raj
- Sun, 05 May 2024 07:19 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Surat Police in Gujarat detained a 27-year-old man identified as Maulvi Sohel Abubakr Timol on Saturday over allegations of threatening to kill former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma and orchestrating the murder of a Hindu organisation leader. The accused, also known for offering private tuition on Islam to Muslim children, purportedly conspired with individuals from Pakistan and Nepal, as reported by news agency PTI.
According to Surat Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gehlot, Timol was implicated in a plot to offer a contract worth Rs 1 crore for the assassination of Upadesh Rana, the national president of Hindu Sanatan Sangh. Investigations revealed Timol's engagement in threatening Rana earlier this year, using virtual numbers from Laos to communicate with contacts in Pakistan and Nepal.
"After his detention, we found several objectionable contents in his mobile phones, including the one regarding offering Rs 1 crore for the murder of Updesh Rana. For this, he was in continuous touch with persons/numbers from Pakistan and Nepal," PTI quoted Gehlot as saying.
"Timol was also found to be involved in issuing threats to Rana in March this year. The accused used a virtual number from Laos to issue threats to the target by connecting numbers from Pakistan and Nepal in his group call," the police officer said.
The police discovered objectionable content on Timol's mobile phones, including plans to procure weapons and execute targeted killings of prominent figures such as the chief editor of Sudarshan television channel Suresh Chavhanke, Nupur Sharma, and Telangana MLA Raja Singh.
Gehlot said the involved persons are “highly radicalised” and they had discussions pertaining to murdering Hindutva leaders, alongside references to the murder of Kamlesh Tiwari,Uttar Pradesh-based president of Hindu Samaj Party who was killed on October 18, 2019, in Lucknow.
Maulvi Sohel Abubakr Timol aimed to eliminate Rana soon to disrupt communal harmony amid the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. Additionally, the Surat police collaborated with other agencies to ascertain if Timol had additional targets in mind.
Timol's preliminary interrogation exposed his association with individuals identified as Dogar and Shehnaz, operating from Pakistan and Nepal, who allegedly incited him by citing perceived insults to Prophet Muhammad by Hindu organisations in India. To conceal his identity, Timol obtained an international SIM card from Laos and utilised social media platforms to disseminate anti-Hindu rhetoric and issue threats to Rana.
"The accused used social media to spread communal animosity, to upload photos of the national flag of India and make lewd comments in posts or videos about Hinduism. He created a false electronic record and ordered arms from foreign handlers," the crime branch release stated.
The arrested accused faced charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 153 (A) (indulge in wanton vilification or attacks upon the religion, race), 467, 468 and 471 (related to forging of documents or electronic record) and section 120 (B) for criminal conspiracy, as well as the Information Technology Act.
Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi condemned the accused's actions and said, "This accused was conspiring to assassinate BJP leaders and three Hindu leaders. They were in contact with their bosses in Pakistan via WhatsApp. Weapons were being brought and a contract of Rs 1 crore was made... The Congress should stop defending such maulanas for the sake of votes.
