Mumbai: A terrifying early morning assault in Mumbai’s Naya Nagar has left the community on edge as investigators probe the motives of a 31-year-old online tutor. Zaib Zuber Ansari was arrested within 90 minutes of allegedly stabbing two security guards at an under-construction site behind Wockhardt Hospital. The attack took a dark and specific turn when the suspect reportedly questioned the guards, Rajkumar Mishra and Subroto Sen, about their religious identity and demanded they recite the ‘kalma’ before the violence began. This specific detail has elevated the case from a local assault to a high-priority joint investigation involving the state Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) and local police.
Ansari’s background has added another layer of complexity to the ongoing probe. After living in the United States for several years and returning to India due to a lack of employment, he had been living a solitary life in Mira Road, earning a living by teaching chemistry online. Authorities are now scrutinizing his digital footprint and seized electronic devices to determine if this isolation led to online radicalization. Preliminary findings from his notes allegedly contain extremist rhetoric, prompting the ATS to investigate whether his actions were influenced by external handlers or if he was acting as a radicalized lone individual.
As the two victims undergo treatment for serious injuries, Ansari remains in police custody under charges of attempted murder and promoting enmity between groups. The Mumbai Police have taken a firm stance against the spread of misinformation, emphasizing that communal harmony must be maintained while the legal and investigative processes continue. The case serves as a stark reminder of the potential for digital platforms to influence vulnerable individuals, turning a former overseas professional into a suspect in a targeted religious attack.
