Kolkata/Bankura: Telangana police, with assistance from Bankura police and Bengal STF, have arrested Mir Asif Ali from Khantra, Bankura, for his alleged links to al-Qaida‘s South Asia module. He is one of 12 people arrested across the country for allegedly attempting to build a recruitment and sleeper-cell network.Ali was subsequently taken to Hyderabad for further questioning.Investigators said he came under scrutiny during an examination of social media accounts and mobile phones belonging to three suspects previously arrested in Telangana.Police allege he was in contact with Pakistan-based handlers and used social media to spread extremist propaganda — including posts containing anti-India rhetoric and images of the Indian flag being burned.His accounts also carried photographs of him holding an AK-series rifle. He was traced through a mobile number linked to the accounts.Ali was arrested following a search at Kharbol village in the Khatra area. During questioning, he reportedly told investigators he first came into contact with extremist elements through online gaming, after which he was added to a group that included the three Telangana suspects and Pakistan-based handlers. He was allegedly instructed to establish a Bengal-based al-Qaida module.Investigators said Ali had previously worked at a mobile phone shop in Noida and created multiple social media accounts to project himself as a militant. He allegedly sent friend requests to young people online in an attempt to indoctrinate them, with a focus on recruiting from North and South 24 Parganas, Malda, Murshidabad, Birbhum and Bankura.
