Overview
- The Maharashtra Anti‑Terrorism Squad arrested 33‑year‑old Mohammad Hasan Abu Sarmad Akhtar and detained him on October 21 near Mahim Metro station after intelligence on his online activity led investigators to him.
- Investigators seized his mobile phone and documented 39 screenshots of social posts and comments that prosecutors say include calls for jihad and an objectionable September comment about Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- ATS officials say they recovered two roughly 30‑minute audio recordings of JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar shared in a Telegram group the suspect is accused of administering and that he subscribed to a Pakistan‑linked channel called Ibn‑e‑Qasim.
- The Kalachowki ATS unit has registered a case under Section 196(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and says it may add Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act provisions if FSL reports show organisational links or conspiracy.
- Police are probing reported contacts with Pakistani intelligence operatives and are tracing the suspect’s online networks to establish whether others in Mumbai or elsewhere in Maharashtra were involved.