HYDERABAD: An 18-year-old student from Falaknuma was detained by the intelligence wing of Telangana police after he was reportedly found browsing terrorist websites in an attempt to get in touch with them.
Intelligence officials said the detention of the youth, identified as Suleiman from Hyderabad, was a precaution as he allegedly appeared to be trying to get the attention of the ISIS among other banned terror groups and might be inclined to join terror outfits through cyberspace.
Though the Intelligence officials confirmed that the youngster was detained and booked, the city police denied it said that ‘no such thing has happened’.
Intelligence wing commissioner Chaitanya Kumar confirmed the investigation against the student. However, DCP, South Zone, S. Sai Chaitanya, said, “No one was picked up by the police for questioning or detention.” Even the station house officers and assistant commissioners of police said that they had received multiple calls and that nothing of this sort had taken place.
Officials are investigating and questioning him about his motives behind the searches and the usage of social media applications to draw their attention to him. “His call data record is being accessed and the cybercrime officials are tracking his online activities by seizing his mobile phone. Further links are yet to be established. It will be done in due course of time. The cybercrime police, with the help of the Internet Protocol (IP) address, had tracked him down and took him into custody,” the officials added.
Senior officials from the state police department, requesting anonymity, said, “He is very young and we are figuring out his excitement behind this online radicalism. Usually, browsing and contacting terror groups is the basic step for the enthusiastic lot, which is followed by mobilisation of funds and third stage is forming groups and lobbying,” shared the official.
Earlier, in 2018, National Investigation Agency (NIA) had arrested eight youths from Hyderabad for planning terror attacks on the instructions of ISIS. The same year, NIA sleuths arrested two more from the city in a separate case for planning terror attacks in the country and for their links to ISIS.
