THANE/AURANGABAD: Underworld don Dawood Ibrahim’s sharpshooter Rashid Malbari’s son Mazhar (21) allegedly played a key role in radicalizing youths, along with Mumbra resident Talah Potrick, who was arrested by the state anti-terrorism squad (ATS) on Saturday. Mazhar, who lives in Mumbra’s Almas Colony, was among the eight arrested by ATS teams in simultaneous operations in Mumbra-Kausa and Aurangabad last week.The ATS claimed the youths were affiliated to IS and were planning terror acts, including preparation of chemical bombs, IEDs and even poison using chemicals. Sources said after carrying out the ‘chemical attack’, the suspects had planned to flee to Iran via Nepal and then sneak into Afghanistan (Khorasan region) from an unguarded border, or to Syria and had reserved Rs 3-4 lakh each for this.Sources said Potrick (24), a management graduate employed as a documentation officer with a shipping company, ran a systematic channel online and was in possession of nearly 90GB material, which he used for indoctrination since 2014.“Every day, between 9pm and 10pm, Mazhar would meet youths in the neighbourhood and hold ‘dars’ (lectures),” said a source. “When he would visit Aurangabad, he would fix a spot near the collector’s office and hold dars.” Mazhar and Potrick would also do two-hour combat training on a local ground every morning.Sources said the arrested youths, including Mazhar and Potrick, kept in contact with their ISIS handlers through telegram and IMO and VPN apps. The handlers reportedly used the profile names ‘Keep Distance’ and ‘Abdulla’.While monitoring the communication of suspected terrorists, ATS officials intercepted a phone conversation in which one man instructed the other to use gloves while handling chemicals and wear a mask and decided to nab them. The suspects, officials said, had been under surveillance since August 2018. The nine arrested were Mazhar, Potrick, Mumbra residents Zaman N Khuteupad and Fahad M I Ansari, Kausa resident Salman S Khan and Aurangabad residents Mohsin Khan, Mohammed Taqi alias Abu Khalid, Mohammed Mushahid-ul-Islam and Mohammed Sarfaraz (25). “The conversation was between Zaman and Salman, who are amongst the first to come on the radar of the agencies,” an officer privy to the operation toldThe seized chemicals in liquid, powder and granule forms have been sent to the Kalina forensic lab. Reports are awaited.Sources said the Union ministry of home affairs has taken serious cognizance of the arrests and sleuths from different agencies reporting to the ministry are independently working on this case.

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