Cleric, Plotting To Kill Nupur Sharma, Instigate Communal Violence During Elections Arrested In Surat

Surat: The Surat police arrested a 27-year-old man on Friday in connection with an alleged plot to kill BJP leaders and a leader of a right-wing organization. The accused, identified as Maulvi Sohel Abubakr Timol, reportedly threatened BJP’s Telangana MLA Raja Singh, former spokesperson Nupur Sharma, and the chief editor of Sudarshan TV channel in collaboration with his handlers from Pakistan and Nepal.

According to Surat senior police official Anupam Singh Gehlot, Abubakr Timol used to work at a thread factory as a manager also take tuition classes on Islam.

Police received information that the Timol is running a WhatsApp group and was trying to connect people on it. He was posting content to hurt religious sentiment and to instigate communal violence during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

“Timol’s mobile chats revealed he was conspiring with people from Pakistan and Nepal to offer Rs 1 crore ‘supari’ (contract for killing) and procure weapons from Pakistan to kill his first target, national president of Hindu Sanatan Sangh Upadesh Rana. After his detention, we found several objectionable contents in his mobile phones, including the one regarding offering Rs 1 crore for the murder of Updesh Rana. For this, he was continuously in touch with persons/numbers from Pakistan and Nepal,” IndiaToday quoted Gehlot as saying,

“Photos and other details found on his phone number show they (accused and associates) were discussing on a secure app about targeting and threatening editor-in-chief of Sudarshan TV Suresh Chavhanke, political leader Nupur Sharma, and Hyderabad MLA Raja Singh. For this purpose, they were planning to collect funds and procure weapons,” Gehlot said.

Police said that the chat records also showed that the man wanted to spread hatred and disturb communal harmony.

Initial probe revealed that the accused was in contact with Dogar and Shehnaz, both have phone numbers belonging to Pakistan and Nepal.

About a year and a half ago, a pair of individuals made contact with the accused through social media platforms. The communication initiated from phone numbers traced back to Pakistan and Nepal. They stirred up the defendant by claiming that Nabi had been subjected to mockery by Hindu factions in India, prompting the necessity for this issue to be dealt with.

The accused on WhatsApp wrote hatred speeches against Hinduism and threatened Rana of killing him like  Kamlesh Tiwari.

Kamlesh Tiwari, a prominent figure of the Hindu Samaj Party in Uttar Pradesh, tragically met his end in Lucknow on the 18th of October, 2019.