SURAT: A 27-year-old manager in a Surat thread factory, who doubled up as a maulvi, was arrested on Saturday for allegedly conspiring with handlers in Pakistan and Nepal in a
plot
to
kill
BJP’s Telangana MLA Raja Singh, party’s ex-spokesperson Nupur Sharma, Hindu Sanatan Sangh president Upadesh Rana, and Sudarshan TV chief editor Suresh Chavhanke. The aim was to disrupt communal harmony during Lok Sabha elections, police said.
Police commissioner Anupam Singh Gahlaut said suspect Mohammad Sohel, alias maulvi Abubakr Timol, was under watch the past few weeks before he was picked up.
Timol was earlier arrested in Surat for allegedly making offensive comments on social media during Ram Navami.
“We found objectionable content on his mobile phones, including a Rs 1 crore supari offer for murder of Rana. For this, he was in constant touch with people in Pakistan and Nepal. Timol had issued threats to Rana in March,” Gahlaut said. “Photos and other details found on his phone show they were discussing on a secure app about targeting Chavhanke, Nupur, and Raja. They were planning to collect funds and procure weapons,” Gahlaut said.
