Man training to become suicide bomber caught in Gadarpur, was receiving support from Malaysian terror group

PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE / Dehradun

The Special Task Force (STF) arrested a man from Gadarpur in Udham Singh Nagar district for allegedly being involved in anti-national and radical activities through social media platforms, on Wednesday night. The STF senior superintendent of police Ajai Singh said chats recovered during the investigation revealed that the accused wanted to become a suicide bomber and was training himself regularly for that purpose.

The accused has been identified as Mohammad Salauddin, a resident of Majra Sila village. Based on information provided by him, the STF recovered an imported pistol, five live cartridges, four detonators and two AK-47 cartridges. “He used to run five to six kilometres every morning and exercise as part of his training. He also shared videos of these activities with a Malaysia-based terror group that was allegedly providing him support,” Singh said. The SSP said the detonators were allegedly supplied to Salauddin by a person identified as Zubair. He said such materials were provided to gain his trust and strengthen his links with the group. 

The action was taken after the STF received confidential information about the accused’s activities. During the investigation, officials examined his mobile phone and found several chats, groups and posts on Telegram and Signal that were allegedly linked to radical and extremist ideology. The STF claimed that the accused was trying to influence young people through social media.

Singh said another person from Rampur has also been detained for questioning. According to investigators, he had allegedly met Zubair, who had provided the detonators to Salauddin. Officials said the suspect had deleted chats and other details related to the accused. Investigators are now examining these connections and conducting technical and forensic analysis of the digital evidence. During questioning, Salauddin reportedly admitted that certain incidents had influenced his thinking, STF said. A case has been registered against the accused under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act. STF officials said further investigation is underway to identify others who may be linked to the network. Raids have also been conducted in Uttar Pradesh as part of the probe.