A 19-year-old jewellery shop worker from West Bengal has been detained in Karnataka's Kalaburagi for questioning after intelligence inputs indicated he may have been in contact with people linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, police said.
The youth, identified as Mamatazwul Malik, was taken into custody late Saturday in a joint operation involving central intelligence officials and local police. Investigators are examining his social media communications and messages that they suspect may have contained sensitive information.
Kalaburagi police commissioner S.D. Sharanappa said Malik was being questioned and that no complaint had been registered against him.
“We detained a 19-year-old man on Saturday night for questioning. At present, we are questioning him, and no formal complaint has been registered against him,” Sharanappa told Hindustan Times.
Malik had been working at a jewellery shop in Saraf Bazaar with his brother, according to preliminary information. Investigators suspect that he communicated through social media with people allegedly associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba. They are examining the nature of those exchanges and the information that may have been shared.
Police have not disclosed the messages or established the extent of Malik’s alleged association with the group. His detention remains for questioning, and any further legal action will depend on the findings of the preliminary inquiry.
Police will decide whether to register an FIR after completing the preliminary inquiry, the commissioner said.
Sharanappa declined to identify the central agency that supplied the intelligence inputs. The operation was carried out within the jurisdiction of the Brahmapur police station.
The detention comes as Karnataka police and central agencies investigate several cases involving alleged online contacts with extremist networks.
Other cases
In a separate case earlier this month, the National Investigation Agency arrested a 20-year-old man in Bidar over alleged contact with Pakistan-based individuals. Investigators were examining communications on WhatsApp and Instagram as part of that case.
In June, a 20-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh was arrested in Davanagere district after intelligence inputs concerning suspected online contacts with Pakistan-based extremist organisations and foreign handlers.
Another case was reported in Chikkaballapura in September, where two young men were arrested over alleged extremist discussions on Telegram. Investigators were examining allegations involving planned attacks, kidnapping for ransom and fundraising for extremist activity.
The cases differ in their allegations and investigative status. In Kalaburagi, police have so far stopped short of registering an FIR against Malik and have not disclosed the nature of the information allegedly exchanged through his social media accounts.