BENGALURU : The alleged fugitive terrorist, Abdul Matheen Ahmed Taahaa from Theerthahallli in Shivamogga, is reportedly behind the pro-terror graffiti in Mangaluru, said highly-placed sources.
In May, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had announced a bounty of Rs 3 lakh cash reward on credible information leading to the arrest of Matheen, who is a wanted accused in Al-Hind ISIS Bengaluru module case, which is reportedly behind the murder of a Hindu leader in Tamil Nadu.
The Mangaluru police on December 6 arrested an engineering student in the City, Mazz Muneer Ahmed (21), and a commerce graduate, Mohammed Shariq (22), who is working as a salesman at his father’s shop in Mangaluru, in the pro-terror graffiti case.
Ahmed and Shariq are also from Theerthahalli and are known to each other. Sources said, "Shariq and Maaz were reportedly in touch with Matheen. The latter had allegedly asked them to write pro-terror graffiti on the walls in public places to create fear and panic among people." The pro-graffiti were in support of terrorist organisations Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Taliban.
Matheen has reportedly fled the country and is in touch with some of his associates in India, said sources. They added that he wanted to create trouble in Mangaluru close to the first anniversary of December 19 anti Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 and National Register of Citizens (NRC) violent protest in which Abdul Jaleel and Nausheen Kudroli lost their lives in police firing.
"Matheen is an accomplice in the case and a friend of the accused in the Bengaluru ISIS module case, Saleem and Zaid. He had contacted the main accused Mehboob Pasha of 'Al-Hind Trust', Bengaluru and was also associated with his online foreign handler," the central counter-terror agency had added. The police have intensified the hunt for more leads on Matheen. His house is on Fish Market Road, Soppu Gudde, Theerthahalli Rural, Shivamogga.