New Delhi:
A 33-year-old man working as a Rapido driver in Mumbai was arrested for having suspected links with the banned terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and making controversial remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in radical social media posts.
Mohammad Hasan Abu Sarmad Akhtar, a resident of Mumbai's Mahim, was found near the Mahim Metro Station by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) following a tip-off.
According to the investigating agency, Akhtar worked as a Rapido driver and perfume seller as a cover while propagating radical ideology. He was in contact with a Pakistani intelligence operation. The accused also promoted religious enmity and shared terror audio clips of JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar concerning the Babri Masjid on Telegram in a group named 'Indian Muslim'.
The investigation revealed that Akhtar had subscribed to a radical Pakistani Telegram channel named "IBN E Qasim".
Across X and Instagram, the accused repeatedly posted provocative comments, including calls for Jihad like "Ab jihad ka zamana agya hai" (It's time for Jihad) and inciting violence. Akhtar recently commented on a post discussing a security breach in Mumbai ahead of PM Modi's visit: "Kuch karana tha Indira Gandhi ki tarah PM Modi ko bhi bhai log (Something like Indira Gandhi should have been done to PM Modi)" - referring to an assassination.
Officials have seized a Redmi Note 14 Pro mobile phone from Akhtar and secured 39 screenshots of his objectionable social media activity for the investigation.
Akhtar has been booked under Section 196(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for promoting enmity between different religious groups.
Akhtar's neighbour told IANS that he had been living in a rented flat for the past 3 to 3.5 years. "I never felt like he would do something like this. I used to see him sitting outside and spoke to him. He used to sell perfume here and then worked at night somewhere else...never thought of him as a bad man," he said.
The neighbour, however, said that if any person betrays the country, then they must be punished.
This comes days after the attack on Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff in Mumbai. One of the accused involved in the shooting had also worked as a Rapido rider, and under the cover of his job, conducted surveillance in upscale neighbourhoods in the city where Bollywood celebrities reside. The ride-hailing service, however, said that the attacker had not been active on the platform since October 14.
"We are deeply concerned by the incident involving Mr. Tiger Shroff and his team, and we are relieved that he is safe. We wish him a swift recovery. We are aware of media reports mentioning an individual registered as a captain on the Rapido platform. He has not been active as a captain on our platform since 14th October. As is common in India's larger gig economy, individuals may be registered with several platforms at the same time. On the day of the incident, the individual had used Rapido's services as a customer," the company said in a post on X.
In July, the Gujarat ATS detained five people during an investigation into an alleged terror module linked to JeM.
(With inputs from Ruttik Ganakwar)