Asked for mosque address, came back 90 minutes later: What led to ‘lone wolf’ attack near Mumbai | Mumbai News – The Times of India

MUMBAI: A 31-year-old man has been arrested and remanded to Maharashtra ATS custody till May 4 after two security guards were attacked at a construction site in Mira Road in the early hours of Monday, police said. Investigators have also recovered digital material allegedly showing references to Islamic State from his residence.The accused, identified as Zaib Zubair Ansari, allegedly targeted the guards after questioning them about their religion, according to the FIR.‘Are you a Hindu?’In his police complaint, one of the victims, Subroto Sen, said the attacker first approached him around 3 am while he was on duty.“Ansari first came up to him as he was guarding the front of the site and asked for the address of a local mosque. When he told Ansari the address, Ansari asked him if he knew the name of the mosque. As the guard said ‘no,’ Ansari asked him, ‘Are you a Hindu?’ The guard replied in the affirmative, and Ansari left.”Sen said the accused returned about 90 minutes later and allegedly attacked him with a knife.“He returned around 4.30 am, Sen said and, stating ‘You are a Hindu, correct?’ held the guard’s right hand and pulled out a knife to stab him. Sen said he tried to evade the attack and got stabbed in the back.”Supervisor also attacked inside cabinAfter escaping, Sen ran into supervisor Rajkumar Mishra’s cabin, but the attacker followed him, the FIR said.“He asked Mishra, ‘Tu bhi Hindu hain na?’ (‘You too are a Hindu, aren’t you?’) and then asked him to recite the ‘kalma’, and when Mishra couldn’t recite it, stabbed him in the stomach,” Sen stated.Both victims were later rushed to hospital with the help of local residents.‘They were terrified’A resident who assisted in the rescue said the injured guards were in shock after the attack.“The guards were terrified and were asking for help. We took them immediately to the cops and then to hospital.”Police said Mishra is in ICU but stable, while Sen sustained minor injuries on his back.ATS seizes devicesFollowing the arrest, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) seized electronic devices from Ansari’s residence in Naya Nagar, Mira Road (East), including a laptop and mobile phones.According to officials, preliminary analysis has flagged potential extremist material.Police also said a letter was recovered from the house which made mention of such an attack, though further verification is underway. Returned from US in 2020Ansari had lived in the United States with his parents for several years before returning to India in 2020, officials said.He was reportedly living alone in Mira Road after separating from his wife, who had gone back to the US, according to police.Arrest within an hour after CCTV trailPolice said Ansari was identified through CCTV footage and apprehended within an hour of the attack by Mira Bhayander-Vasai Virar police.Police have invoked multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including:

Investigators are now examining the digital evidence and alleged ideological material recovered from the accused’s residence.