One person with alleged terror links arrested, says K'taka Home Minister

Kalaburagi, Karnataka's Home Minister Priyank Kharge announced on Sunday that one person has been arrested for allegedly having terror group ties through social media. Further investigation was ongoing against another individual. The arrest came after a joint operation by central agencies and the state government's Internal Security Division, which received intelligence about two youths developing links with terrorists via social media.

Kharge detailed that investigations revealed one suspect had been in regular contact with a terror network, while the other had no such ties. This marked the fifth such case reported in the last two to three months, involving individuals from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal. The Home Minister emphasized that while the government couldn't prevent people from migrating to Karnataka for work, employers must verify the backgrounds of their employees.

He called for employers to cooperate in background checks and suggested a meeting with stakeholders to standardize verification processes. Kharge affirmed that existing agencies, including the Anti-Terrorism Squad, Garuda Force, and Internal Security Division, were adequately equipped to handle such threats and no new squad was needed.

He clarified that central and state agencies work jointly and shared responsibilities in combating terrorist threats, stressing the need for information exchange.