A 20-year-old Uttar Pradesh native was arrested in Karnataka’s Davangere district on suspicion of links with a Pakistan-based terror organisation. Police said suspected terror-related material was found on his phone and further investigation is underway into his online contacts
Published Date – 24 June 2026, 05:35 PM
Davangere (Karnataka): A man suspected of having links with a Pakistan-based terror organisation was arrested in this district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Suhail (20), is a native of Uttar Pradesh, they said.
He had recently arrived in Harihar taluk, where he was working as a painter, police added.
The accused was picked up on Tuesday in a joint operation with intelligence officials following inputs from the National Investigation Agency.
According to police, suspected terror-related material was found on his WhatsApp account and he was allegedly in contact with several persons based in Pakistan.
Sharing details of the arrest, Davanagere Superintendent of Police Shekhar H Tekkannavar said that, based on credible information, the suspect was detained on Tuesday.
“Yesterday, our Police Sub-Inspector detained and questioned a suspicious individual based on credible information received. About 15 days ago, the suspect had come to work as a painter at a private factory located within the Harihar Rural Police Station limits and was staying in a nearby village,” he told reporters here.
Acting on information that he was involved in suspicious activities, he was questioned and, during the inquiry, it came to light that he was in contact with persons of Pakistani origin through WhatsApp groups and social media on his mobile phone, the SP said.
He said a case had been registered at Harihar Rural Police Station and the suspect had been taken into custody for further action.
“We are proceeding with further legal action against the suspect, who is around 20 years old,” Tekkannavar said.
Citing preliminary findings, the officer said it appeared that these individuals became acquainted through social media in the context of certain extremist activities and remained in contact online.
“There are indications that the case may have similarities to an earlier case registered in Tumakuru district, but we will confirm that through further investigation. At present, we are verifying the suspect who has been taken into custody. In the coming days, we will complete the verification process, collect all relevant evidence, and take appropriate action,” he said.
The officer said that, according to available information, the suspect had come here as part of a group of about 10 people.
“We are also verifying the backgrounds of the others. After the investigation, we will verify whether there is any substance to the matter, whether it involves a particular group, the nature of the contacts, and other details. Those facts will become clear only after the investigation is completed,” Tekkannavar added.
The arrest comes weeks after two men were arrested from Tumakuru and Davangere districts on June 4 for allegedly maintaining contact through social media with a Pakistan-based individual and conspiring to carry out activities prejudicial to India’s national security.
Confirming the arrest, Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge said the Uttar Pradesh native was found to have been in contact with some Pakistanis.
The minister underlined that further details would emerge only after the investigation was completed.
Kharge said preliminary findings indicated that the individual had come to Karnataka in search of work and that investigators had recovered information from his mobile phone, leading to his arrest.
“According to the preliminary investigation and the information available, that person from Uttar Pradesh had apparently come here in search of work. Some information has been detected from his mobile phone. So he’s been arrested,” Kharge told reporters in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
He said chats recovered from the mobile phone suggested that the accused had been in touch with some Pakistanis.
“It has emerged from the chats that he was in contact with some Pakistanis. But whether there has been any large-scale indoctrination or anything else, that will be known only after the investigation is completed. For now, he is in custody,” he said.
