Suspected Al Qaeda operative arrested near Ranchi by Delhi Police
Ansari was allegedly being trained in weapons handling, along with six others, in an alleged AQIS camp in the forests of Chopanki, which comes under Rajasthan’s Bhiwadi, when Delhi Police raided the location in August.
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Officers said the accused, Shahbaz Ansari (21), had been on the run since last August (Representative image)An alleged AQIS (Al Qaeda Indian Subcontinent) operative was arrested near Ranchi by the Delhi Police Special Cell, in a joint operation with the Jharkhand Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), about a fortnight ahead of Republic Day celebrations.
Officers said the accused, Shahbaz Ansari (21), had been on the run since last August. He had escaped during a police crackdown on alleged AQIS operatives during which 11 people, including alleged mastermind Dr Ishtiyaq Ahmed, a radiologist, were arrested after raids were conducted across three states — Rajasthan, UP and Jharkhand — the Delhi police had said.
Ansari was allegedly being trained in weapons handling, along with six others, in an alleged AQIS camp in the forests of Chopanki, which comes under Rajasthan’s Bhiwadi, when Delhi Police raided the location in August.
“Ansari managed to escape during the raids in August and had been on the run. He was being tracked across the Mewat region and UP. Recently, information was received showing his location in Lohardaga, near Ranchi. He belongs to Jharkhand,” a senior police officer with the Special Cell (New Delhi Range) said.
During the August raids, Dr Ahmed and two others were nabbed from Ranchi while six were arrested from Bhiwadi. Police said Ansari was the seventh member.
An AK-47 rifle, a .38 bore revolver, live cartridges of various calibers, a dummy Insas rifle, an air rifle, and a hand grenade were also confiscated in August.
“Dr Ahmed was aspiring to declare Khilafat and execute serious terrorist activities within the country,” the Delhi Police had said in a statement.
Ansari is currently in Ranchi and will be brought to Delhi on a transit remand, a police officer said.
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