Duo planning to cross border for weapons training held near Red Fort

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| Photo Credit: Sushil Kumar Verma

Two men allegedly planning to go to Pakistan for weapons training were arrested near the Red Fort area, the police said on Saturday.

A senior officer said that the accused have been identified as Khalid Mubarak Khan, 21, a resident of Maharashtra, and Abdullah alias Abdur Rehman, 26, a resident of Tamil Nadu.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Rajiv Ranjan Singh said the arrests were made based on a tip-off that the police had received on February 14.

He added that according to the information, some people were coming to the national capital from Mumbai to carry out illegal activities and were planning to later go to Pakistan for training.

The police had also been informed that the two accused would be carrying sophisticated weapons.

Another police officer said that the arrested accused had been radicalised through social media by Pakistan-based handlers.

“The accused were taking directions from their handler on ways to illegally cross the border. Two pistols with 10 live cartridges, a knife and a wire cutter have been recovered from their possession,” the officer added.

The police said that the accused have been booked under the Arms Act, adding that investigation is on to ascertain their involvement in planning any terror attack.