Maulvi Sohail Abubakr Timol, a 27-year-old Muslim cleric, hailing from Nandurbar, Maharashtra, was apprehended on Friday in connection with an alleged assassination plot targeting the leader of a right-wing leader, Surat police officials said.
Timol, identified as the primary suspect, was arrested for his purported involvement in a conspiracy to eliminate Sanatan Sangh national chairman Updesh Rana.
Police said that Timol, in collaboration with handlers based in Pakistan and Nepal, orchestrated a series of threatening calls and messages targeting prominent individuals including BJP’s Telangana MLA Raja Singh, former national spokesperson Nupur Sharma, and Sudarshan television channel’s chief editor Suresh Chauhan.
The accused reportedly made over 15 calls to Rana, threatening to end his life akin to the fate of Kamlesh Tiwari, the Uttar Pradesh-based president of the Hindu Samaj Party who was murdered in 2019 in Lucknow.
Surat Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gahlaut said that Timol, employed at a private factory, was also engaged in providing religious education to children in Kathor. Gahlaut emphasised that the accused utilised an international number for communication and established contact with his handlers via social media platforms.
“Timol was also found to be involved in issuing threats to Rana in March this year. The accused used a virtual number from Laos to issue threats to the target by connecting numbers from Pakistan and Nepal in his group call. 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,” Gahlaut said, according to PTI.
During a search of Timol’s mobile phone, law enforcement officers discovered morphed images of Hindu deities. He has been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including promoting enmity between different groups on religious grounds, forgery, criminal conspiracy, and relevant sections of the Information Technology Act.
The Surat Police, in collaboration with other law enforcement agencies, are actively pursuing leads to unravel the full extent of the conspiracy orchestrated by Timol and his international accomplices.
