A 19-year-old jewellery shop worker from West Bengal has been detained in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi for questioning after intelligence inputs indicated he may have been in contact with people linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, police said.
The youth, identified as Mamatazwul Malik, was taken into custody late Saturday in a joint operation involving central intelligence officials and local police. Investigators are examining his social media communications and messages that they suspect may have contained sensitive information. Kalaburagi police commissioner S.D. Police have not disclosed the messages or established the extent of Malik’s alleged association with the group. His detention remains for questioning, and any further legal action will depend on the findings of the preliminary inquiry. Sharanappa declined to identify the central agency that supplied the intelligence inputs. The operation was carried out within the jurisdiction of the Brahmapur police station. The detention comes as Karnataka police and central agencies investigate several cases involving alleged online contacts with extremist networks.
In June, a 20-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh was arrested in Davanagere district after intelligence inputs concerning suspected online contacts with Pakistan-based extremist organisations and foreign handlers.
Sharanappa said Malik was being questioned and that no complaint had been registered against him. Police will decide whether to register an FIR after completing the preliminary inquiry, the commissioner said.
