'Lone wolf' asks 2 guards their faith, stabs them

Mira Bhayander: A day after a 31-year-old man was arrested for stabbing two security guards at an under-construction site in Mira Road on the outskirts of Mumbai, it emerged that the attacker had allegedly asked them to identify their religion - besides asking one of them to recite the 'kalma' - before stabbing them. A court remanded the assailant, Zaib Zubair Ansari, in ATS custody till May 4.

While agency reports quoted ATS officials as saying it appeared to be a 'lone wolf' attack, CM Devendra Fadnavis said the attacker had been "self-radicalised".



One of the guards, Rajkumar Mishra (50), who was grievously injured, is in hospital, while the other, Subroto Sen (31), filed an FIR.

Cops said Ansari lived for several years in US, where he completed his graduation in biology. He returned to India in 2020 and rented a house in Mira Road, where he lived alone.

In the FIR, Sen said that at 3am Monday, Ansari came up to him asked for the address of a mosque. When Sen gave him the address, Ansari asked him if he knew the name of the mosque. As the guard said "no," Ansari asked him, "Are you a Hindu?" The guard replied in affirmative, and Ansari left. He returned around 4.30am, Sen said, and, stating "You are a Hindu, correct?" held the guard's right hand and pulled out a knife. Sen said he tried to evade the attack and got stabbed in the back.

Sen told the police that he escaped the attacker's grip and ran into supervisor Mishra's cabin, but Ansari followed him there. "He asked Mishra, 'You too are a Hindu, aren't you?' and asked him to recite the 'kalma'. When Mishra failed to do so, Ansari stabbed him in the stomach."

Ansari was identified with the help of CCTV footage and caught within an hour.

On Monday, ATS checked Ansari's house and seized evidence like his laptop and mobiles. An official said a few references to the Islamic State were found in the seized material along with a letter that madea mention of such an attack.

Ansari's parents are still in US. He was married to a US citizen of Indian origin but later divorced. He used to conduct online maths, chemistry and English classes for Abu Dhabi-based students, police said.

(Inputs from Mateen Hafeez)
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