2 min readApr 11, 2026 01:49 PM IST
The Special Branch of the Delhi Police on Saturday arrested a 22-year-old youth from Bhubaneswar for his alleged links with a ‘radical group’ and took him on transit remand for further probe, police sources said.
The youth, identified as Sheikh Imran, was arrested from his residence in the Unit-6 area of Bhubaneswar.
“During interrogation, it was revealed that Shaikh Imran, an unemployed youth, was acting as an active member of the radical group. Through his social media accounts, he came in contact with a closed group on WhatsApp and Signal, where radical content on religious lines was circulated, which is detrimental to national security,” the Bhubaneswar police said.
The Delhi Police found the Odisha link after picking up a group of young boys in Delhi a week ago for questioning in connection with social media posts on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Signal related to radicalisation, an officer said.
The Special Cell had been monitoring Imran’s movements and online activities for the past several days and arrested him based on evidence. According to preliminary investigation, police found some of his posts objectionable and against India, and the youth is suspected to have been influenced by radical views, sources said.
The officer said that based on credible information, the Delhi Police, in cooperation with the Commissionerate Police, Bhubaneswar, arrested Imran.
The Delhi Police will investigate further to unravel his links with other extremist groups, and the Bhubaneswar Police will extend necessary cooperation.
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The youth was produced before a sub-divisional judicial magistrate in Bhubaneswar and taken on transit remand by the Delhi Police.
