Overview
- Rakesh Handoo was taken into custody by a Baramulla Police team at his Faridabad home, a move that followed an FIR and written grounds of arrest; records show the detention occurred on October 17, 2026.
- The FIR lodged in Baramulla names Sections 66F and 84C of the Information Technology Act for cyberterrorism and related attempted offences, and some reports also say the UAPA has been invoked.
- Police allege Handoo repeatedly reposted, edited and amplified digital circulars purporting to come from militant‑named groups that identified and threatened migrant and minority employees in the Kashmir Valley.
- Investigators say he ignored BNSS notices and multiple police summonses before officers arrested him and moved him to Baramulla custody; he is expected to appear in the NIA court at Sopore to seek bail as the probe continues.
- The arrest has alarmed Kashmiri Pandit leaders who call for an impartial review and has reopened scrutiny of earlier threat letters that forced many migrant workers to stay away from duties for weeks and spurred a wider security response.