There was one anonymous email to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday from an Indore-based person, who had supposedly taken training in Pakistan and China and had come to Mumbai. Pakistan is known for backing various designated terrorist organizations.
Pakistan has been frequently accused by various countries, including its neighbours Afghanistan, India, and Iran, as well as the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, of involvement in a variety of terrorist activities in both its local region of South Asia and beyond.
India has accused Pakistan of perpetuating the insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir by providing financial support and armaments to militant groups as well as by sending state-trained terrorists across the Line of Control and de jure India–Pakistan border to launch attacks in Indian-administered Kashmir and India proper, respectively.
The subject of the mail is “danger man,” and his name is mentioned in the mail as “Sarfaraj Memon, who could be dangerous.” As per the email, the person is from Dhar Road in Indore, and he had allegedly visited China in 2018 and 2019, but his agency did not find any entries for travel to Pakistan. The email also had the person’s details, such as their Aadhar card, passport, and driving license, and as per the documents, the suspect was born in 1982. These documents could be added to mislead the agencies. These days, terrorists are technically sound, and they know how to use technology to their advantage. This so-called dangerous man has used all his social engineering skills.
The agency has shared all the information with the Mumbai police, anti-terrorism squad, and other central agencies. Mumbai police and the NIA have shared information about him with the Indore police. The police are also trying to get more information about his travel records. The city is on high alert, and the police have also alerted their human intelligence and other networks to get the details about Memon. This email could not be genuine, but the police can take a chance, so based on the information, they have been putting all their efforts into tracing him. The central agencies must have visited the address mentioned in the Aadhar card and verified it. A special team of a few officers has been formed to trace the person, and apart from that, the entire city police force has been alerted.
From 1992 to 2021, the police have not heard that a terror suspect has taken training in China. It does not seem serious. But still, ATS and cops have now launched a manhunt to nab the suspect. A team from the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) reached Indore on Tuesday and has been recording the statement of Sarfaraj Memon, whose name was in an anonymous email sent to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), in which he was referred to as a “danger man.”
Memon has lived in Hong Kong for several years. The ATS has been verifying the claims mentioned in the mail. Apart from that, they are also checking Memon’s social media accounts, call details, and travel history. After checking his travel details, it was learned that he had allegedly visited China in 2018 and 2019, but the agency did not find any entries for travel in Pakistan. The police are also trying to get more information about his travel records.
Terrorism in China is rare, and people can be trained in that country for any such activity. So, his visit to China is not dangerous, and the person has not visited Pakistan ever, which means whoever is the mail sender is trying to bully ATS. The government of the People’s Republic of China identifies terrorism as one of the “Three Evils.” These forces are seen by Beijing as interconnected threats to social stability and national security.
In particular, terrorism is viewed as a violent manifestation of ethnic separatism, and separatism is understood as a corollary of religious zealotry. The government has embarked on strike-hard campaigns to suppress these tendencies, particularly in Xinjiang and Tibetan regions. There have been allegations that the Chinese government has been applying charges of terrorism in an inconsistent and sometimes politically motivated manner, but there is no evidence that they are training militants. These days, Pakistan has also adapted to new methods and is giving training online. And in most of the cases, they are training terrorists outside Pakistan.
Whereas the ISI has frequently been accused of playing a role in major terrorist attacks across India, including Kashmir-related terrorism, the July 2006 Mumbai Train Bombings, the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, the 2006 Varanasi Bombings, the August 2007 Hyderabad Bombings, and the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. The ISI is also accused of supporting Taliban forces and recruiting and training mujahideen to fight in Afghanistan and Kashmir. Based on communication intercepts, US intelligence agencies concluded Pakistan’s ISI was behind the attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul on July 7, 2008, a charge that the governments of India and Afghanistan had previously laid.
