Pramesh S Jain
Chikkaballapur:Chikkaballapur city police have arrested a man for allegedly discussing plans to carry out terror-related activities in the country through a closed Telegram group.
The arrested accused has been identified as Shabbir,a resident of Bapujinagar in Chikkaballapur. 
Senior officer told reporters that he allegedly created a Telegram group in which members discussed plans for attacks, raising funds and creating unrest.
According to the preliminary investigation,members of the group allegedly discussed kidnapping wealthy people to raise money and using the funds for terrorist activities.
Police are also probing alleged discussions about targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi,Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Police said the Telegram group had members from different parts of the country and efforts are under way to identify and trace them.
The case came to light after the State Intelligence Department reportedly noticed Shabbir’s activities on Instagram, where he allegedly liked and commented on posts promoting extremist content.
The Intelligence Department alerted Chikkaballapur city police, who subsequently detained Shabbir and seized his mobile phone.
During examination of the phone,police allegedly found Instagram and Telegram conversations containing provocative messages and discussions linked to the alleged conspiracy.
Chikkaballapur SP Padmini Sahu said police had registered a suo motu case after finding provocative messages in a closed social media group.
She said the accused’s background and the wider network involved in the case were being investigated and that he would be taken into police custody for further questioning.
A case has been registered under Section 113 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Police are examining the Telegram conversations, identifying other members of the group and investigating whether more people were involved in the alleged conspiracy.
