Cyber crime cops to probe SMS case

City police handed over the case of objectionable MMSs and SMSs which triggered panic among people from the northeast in Bangalore to the cyber crime cell attached to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

Three persons were arrested on Saturday in this connection, DGP Lalrokhuma Pachau said.

Anees Pasha, 26, who runs a mobile shop called New Fonotech in Koramangala VII Block, his brother , Thaseem Nawaz, 32, of Platinum Court in BTM I Stage, and Shahid Salman Khan, 22, of Teachers’ Colony in Venkatapura allegedly spread rumours through SMSs and uploaded videos to incite hatred.

Police raided the shop, arrested Anees and seized incriminating material like four mobile phones, two computers and a laptop. Anees admitted that he and his associates were sending SMSs to a large number of people which wrongly depicted violence in the northeast.

“We’re yet to find out whether they belonged to any organized group or extremist outfit. There is one gang member still at large. We’ll arrest him and find out whether the gang has any cross-border connection which made them indulge in such mischief,” said an investigating officer.

The confiscated equipment has been handed over to the cyber crime cell. A senior official of a central intelligence agency told TOI the three youths have definite links with an extremist group. “We suspect they’re linked to some terror outfit in Bangladesh,” he said.