On Saturday (4th May), the Surat police arrested a radical Islamic preacher for threatening to kill Hindu activist Updesh Rana, who runs an organisation named ‘Sanatan Sangh’.
As per reports, the accused was identified as Sohail Abubakar Teemol. He is a resident of Kathor area in Surat city of Gujarat. Surat Commissioner Anupam Singh Gehlot confirmed the development during a press conference.
Besides working as a factory manager, Sohail serves as an Aalim (Islamic scholar) at a madrassa. He had threatened Updesh Rana over WhatsApp, following which a police complaint was filed against him.
Besides Updesh Rana, Sohail was also planning to target ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma and Hyderabad MLA T Raja Singh. The Surat Police have also found anti-Hindu content on the mobile phone of the radical Islamic preacher.
The cops have initiated a probe into the matter and are interrogating him in connection to the case. According to the Surat Police Commissioner, Sohail and his henchmen had other Hindu leaders on their target as well.
The accused was reportedly in touch with handlers in Nepal and Pakistan for 1.5 years, besides people based in Indonesia, Vietnam and Kazakhstan. He used to use gaming platforms to chat with his accomplices.
During the press conference, Anupam Singh Gehlot informed that Sohail is an Islamic fanatic, who wanted to avenge those supposedly involved in mocking Prophet Mohammed.