A Pakistani national, who crossed over to India via the international border to allegedly kill suspended BJP national spokesperson Nupur Sharma, has been held in Sri Ganga Nagar district of Rajasthan.
A joint team of the intelligence bureau (IB) and other intelligence agencies are interrogating the arrested Pakistani national.
As per the sources, a senior Border Security Force (BSF) officer informed the media that the man was held on 16 July around 11 pm , near Hindumalkot border outpost in Rajasthan and was found in suspicious condition by the patrolling team who on the spot detained and frisked him.
“We have found an 11-inch long knife, religious books, clothes, food and sand in the bag from his possession. He identified himself as Rizwan Ashraf, a native of Mandi Bahauddin city located in Northern Punjab of Pakistan,” he said.
He added that during the preliminary investigation, the suspect informed that he has crossed the border to kill Nupur Sharma over her controversial remarks on Prophet Muhammad. He had planned to visit Ajmer Dargah first before executing his plan.
“We have handed him over to local police for further investigation. He was produced before a magistrate from where he was sent to eight days of police custody. We have informed the concerned intelligence agencies about him,” he added.
A joint team of IB, RAW and military intelligence is interrogating him.
The move comes against the backdrop of now-suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s remarks on Prophet Mohammad that had led to widespread violent protests across the country and also drew condemnation from some Gulf countries.
