Lucknow, April 4 A court here on Saturday remanded four members of a suspected terror module, who were allegedly planning an attack on railway installations in Lucknow, in five days of police custody, officials said.
Additional Director General (Law and Order) Amitabh Yash said the gang's main operative, Saqib alias "Devil", a resident of Meerut who worked as a barber, was introduced to Pakistan-based handlers through Aqib from Meerut via Instagram.
Preliminary inputs suggest that Aqib is residing in Dubai, while his social media accounts featuring videos with assault rifles are under investigation.
ADG Yash said Saqib subsequently established contact with multiple foreign handlers through encrypted platforms and was linked to suspected terror groups, with several Afghanistan-based phone numbers found associated with him.
According to the officer, the module was engaged in reconnaissance of key installations, including railway signal boxes, and was planning acts such as setting fire to trucks carrying gas cylinders and targeting political figures.
The accused had conducted recce operations in cities including Ghaziabad, Aligarh and Lucknow, and shared videos and location details with their handlers.
He said the group had also carried out minor arson incidents at some locations and sent videos to their handlers.
The handlers allegedly used to incite the accused on religious grounds to target public property and vehicles as part of a larger conspiracy to disturb public order, Yash added.
Arbaab, also a resident of Meerut and from Saqib's village, was actively involved in the activities, while Vikas Gehlawat and Lokesh Pandit from Gautam Buddh Nagar were recruited into the module through social media.
On April 2, the group had allegedly planned an arson attack near the Lucknow railway station targeting railway signalling systems and other infrastructure. However, the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) team intercepted and arrested the accused before the plan could be executed.
Seven smartphones containing crucial evidence have been recovered from the accused, officials said, adding that further investigation is underway to trace other links in the network.