A 31-year-old man has been detained for allegedly attacking two security guards with a knife in Mumbai’s Naya Nagar area after questioning their religious identity and asking them to recite the ‘Kalma’, police said on Monday.
The incident, which took place in the early hours near an under-construction site close to Wockhardt Hospital, is being examined for possible radicalisation, with investigators probing whether it was an isolated act or part of a wider design.
According to police, the accused, identified as Zaib Zuber Ansari, approached the guards around 4 am and allegedly asked them to recite the Islamic declaration of faith before launching the assault. Both guards, Rajkumar Mishra and Subroto Sen, suffered serious injuries.
Mishra managed to reach a nearby hospital on his own despite being wounded, while Sen was helped by a local resident, Nayab Sheikh, who found him injured and taking shelter inside the guard booth. Sheikh first took him to the police station and then ensured he received medical treatment.
How the accused was traced and arrested
Police said they moved quickly after the attack, scanning CCTV footage from the area to identify the suspect. Ansari was apprehended within about 90 minutes and taken to Naya Nagar Police Station, where a case was registered under charges including attempt to murder and promoting enmity between communities.
He was later produced before a court in Thane, which remanded him to police custody till May 4.
What investigators have found so far
The probe is being carried out jointly by local police and the state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). Officials are examining electronic devices seized from the accused to determine the motive behind the attack.
Preliminary findings indicate the presence of notes containing references to terms such as “ISIS”, “lone wolf”, “jihad” and “Gaza”. Authorities are also looking into the possibility that Ansari may have been influenced by material accessed online.
News agency IANS mentioned sources as saying that the accused had spent several years in the United States, where members of his family continue to live. He reportedly returned to India after being unable to secure employment.
Police added that he was living alone in the Mira Road area and had been conducting online chemistry classes to earn a livelihood.
Investigators are continuing to piece together whether the assault was a standalone act or part of a larger pattern.