Maharashtra ATS arrests Pune techie over alleged Al-Qaeda links; booked under UAPA

Hangargekar has been booked under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), on Monday, arrested a 35-year-old software engineer, identified as Zubair Hangargekar, from Pune’s Kondhwa area for his alleged links with Pakistan-based Al-Qaeda and involvement in the radicalisation of youth.

According to officials, Hangargekar, who had been under surveillance for nearly a month, was taken into custody early Monday and produced before a special UAPA court, which remanded him to police custody till November 4.

He has been booked under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

According to the ATS, the arrest is connected to an ongoing investigation stemming from raids conducted on October 9 across multiple locations in Pune, during which 19 laptops and 40 mobile phones were seized for forensic analysis.

The searches had hinted at the existence of a wider terror network involving radicalised individuals.

A senior ATS officer said searches at Hangargekar’s residence led to the recovery of incriminating Al-Qaeda literature and digital material used for radicalisation. The officer added that investigators are probing whether the accused was in contact with Al-Qaeda operatives or members of other extremist organisations, and what he intended to do with the material in his possession.

Hangargekar, a software tester and database developer working with a Kalyaninagar-based IT firm, hails from Solapur and lives in Pune with his wife and two children. The ATS has also detained one of his friends for questioning after the two returned from Chennai, where they had attended a social function.

The arrest follows a series of recent operations targeting radical networks in India. Earlier this month, two individuals, Md Adnan Khan alias Abu Muharib (19) from Delhi and Adnan Khan alias Abu Mohammad (20) from Bhopal, were arrested in an Islamic State (IS)-related case.

Investigations revealed that the duo had been radicalised online and were reporting to a handler based in Syria, indicating the continued online resurgence of global terror groups such as ISIS and Al-Qaeda.

As per intelligence officials, while these groups lack strong physical bases in India, their digital outreach and radicalisation efforts have intensified, with India-focused operations allegedly coordinated from Syria.

The ATS said the investigation into Hangargekar’s activities is underway, and more arrests could follow as digital evidence from seized devices is analysed.

(With inputs from agencies)