Karnataka tea seller plotted unrest with ‘foreigner’, asked for pistol: cops

A 24-year-old tea seller in Karnataka's Raichur district, Mohammed Sahil, has been arrested on charges of terrorist conspiracy following his alleged attempt to procure a pistol and his involvement in provocative exchanges with a social media user, identified as "Rana Bhai" on Instagram. Superintendent of Police Arunangshu Giri announced the arrest, stating that Sahil's suspicious activities were detected on August 8 after he liked and shared hateful content on the Instagram account awais_rajpoot10 over a period of 15 days.

During the course of the investigation, the police discovered that Sahil had contacted the Instagram user on July 14 and requested a pistol, to which the user responded and shared a WhatsApp number. Further examination of Sahil's phone revealed numerous hateful messages and discussions targeting a specific community. Sahil also sent a photograph of his tea stall to the accused. The accused was reportedly told by the social media user that he was from an Arab country and was allegedly offered money and a pistol.

The police are currently investigating whether the communication between Sahil and the social media user contained discussions related to activities that could threaten India's sovereignty, unity, integrity, and national security. The arrested tea seller has been questioned by the police and subsequently produced before the court, who remanded him to judicial custody. The case was registered under terrorist conspiracy and stoking hatred or disharmony between communities at the Sadar Bazar station.