A fresh probe by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has exposed serious lapses in policing in Bijnor, after new links emerged in an alleged ISI-backed terror module.
Investigators have identified Aqib, currently based in Dubai, as a key intermediary who allegedly connected arrested operative Saqib with a Pakistan-based ISI handler. Saqib, alias 'Devil', was arrested in Lucknow on April 2 along with three others for allegedly plotting to blow up a railway signal box under foreign instructions.
The case has drawn attention to a viral video from November last year showing Aqib holding what appeared to be an AK-47 rifle and a hand grenade. At the time, Bijnor police had dismissed the video as harmless, claiming the weapons were plastic toys after verifying Aqib's explanation during a video call.
However, the ATS investigation has contradicted that assessment, bringing Aqib back under scrutiny. During interrogation, Saqib and his associates reportedly revealed that their contact with the ISI handler was established through him.
Following the revelations, disciplinary action has been initiated. Then Nangalsoti SHO Sachin Singh Malik has been suspended, while a departmental inquiry has been ordered against Circle Officer Nitesh Pratap Singh.