Bengaluru security guard wanted to target Pakistan Army, arrested on ‘terror’ charges

A 25-year-old security guard from West Bengal, Asaful Mallick, has been apprehended in Bengaluru on suspicion of attempting to join the Pakistan Army and launch an attack. The accused, who was arrested on August 11 from his workplace in Bommasandra Industrial Area, allegedly sought to transfer to Afghanistan to join Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Police claim Mallick was in contact with an Afghan man named Imran Haider, who identified himself as a TTP member, via Facebook. Mallick planned to fundraise against those who troubled Muslims abroad, according to police. He had applied for a passport and a visa to Afghanistan but never traveled there due to financial difficulties and family disputes.

Mallick allegedly expressed intent to target Indians if Muslims faced harm. The Intelligence Bureau (IB) detected Mallick's international calls, prompting a special team to track him down. Mallick has been booked under the Indian penal code's provisions for conspiring to commit a terrorist act and has been placed in police custody for 10 more days for interrogation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and other central agencies.