STF finds ‘suspicious’ contacts in IS-linked man’s phone
Dehradun: Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF), probing the case after the arrest of a suspected “lone wolf operative” of ISI-linked terror outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Hindustan (TTH), has identified at least 8-10 suspicious contact numbers from the accused’s mobile phone.
Vikrant Kashyap (29), who worked at a garage in Dehradun’s Premnagar area, was arrested by the STF on April 10 after his social media activity was monitored for two months. He is accused of sharing geotagged locations of key installations in Dehradun, including the Indian Military Academy (IMA), with his handlers in Pakistan via social media. An STF officer involved in the investigation told TOI, “The contact numbers found on the accused’s phone were being used in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. We suspect the persons using those numbers were also part of the outfit and in touch with the ISI handlers in Pakistan.” STF SSP Ajai Singh told TOI, “We have already shared the probe findings with the agencies concerned in the five states for necessary action. We are continuing our probe.” The STF had earlier claimed that Kashyap was tasked by his Pakistani handlers to plan grenade attacks on Hindu right-wing organisations and a Muslim Supreme Court lawyer. Investigators also said he was given a .32 bore Italian pistol by a local aide of his Pakistani handler and gangster Shahzad Bhatti as part of his induction into the outfit.
