Revenue staffer from Visakhapatnam comes under police lens for terror link

A probe revealed Siraj was noticed by terror groups after commenting on a video of BJP MLA Raja Singh. Praised online, he later helped form the AHIM group with a Visakhapatnam govt employee.

Preliminary probe revealed that Siraj came under the radar of terrorist groups after posting a comment on a video featuring Hyderabad BJP MLA Raja Singh. Photo | (Express Illustrations)

VIZIANAGARM: Police, in coordination with the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and other central agencies, concluded the second day of interrogation of terror suspects Siraj and Sameer on Saturday. Investigators obtained crucial details about their social media activity, financial sources for making IEDs, and broader terror links.

Preliminary probe revealed that Siraj came under the radar of terrorist groups after posting a comment on a video featuring Hyderabad BJP MLA Raja Singh. He received online praise from an unknown individual for ‘raising his voice’ for Islam, and a person believed to be a Visakhapatnam revenue department employee. This interaction reportedly led to the formation of the AHIM group.

Vizianagaram police have now launched a probe to identify and question the said government employee.

NIA officials reportedly uncovered key information about the Al-Hind Ittehadul Muslimeen (AHIM) group, allegedly run by Siraj and Sameer. The duo is believed to have used social media to radicalise youth, urging them to sacrifice their lives in pursuit of jihad and convert India into an Islamic state. The investigation has widened to trace AHIM affiliates in Telangana, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka.