Fadnavis claims that Thane’s stabbing was motivated by “self-radicalization,” and the NIA will look into it.

On Tuesday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis called the Mira Road stabbing case—in which a 31-year-old man allegedly attacked two security guards after inquiring about their religion—a case of “self-radicalization” and announced that the National Investigation Agency and the Anti-Terrorism Squad would look into it.

“From the preliminary reports that have emerged, it is evident that it is a case of self-radicalisation. In such cases, individuals are often influenced by books, the Internet, and literature, and they want to participate in jihad by killing people from different religions,’ Fadnavis told reporters in Solapur.

Before relocating to Kurla in Mumbai and then to Nayanagar in Thane’s Mira-Bhayandar, the Chief Minister stated that the accused’s family had resided in the United States. “The investigating agencies will get to the root of the matter and find out whether he operated alone or was backed by other radical agencies,” he added.

The event happened on Monday at around four in the morning in the vicinity of Asmita Grand Mansion, which is situated on Mira Road East behind Wockhardt Hospital. An unnamed individual stabbed security officers Rajkumar Mishra and Subroto Ramesh Sen while they were on duty at a building that was still under construction. Both were rushed to a hospital, and their condition is stable. 

Within an hour and a half, Zaib Zubair Ansari, 31, was recognized and taken into custody based on CCTV footage from the scene. At the Nayanagar police station, a case has been filed under the laws pertaining to attempted murder and willfully causing harm with hazardous weapons. Police added the allegation of inciting animosity between other religions based on the original accusation, which claimed a community motive for the attack.

As local organisations raised the issue, leading to tension in the area, the matter was handed over to the Anti-Terrorism Squad.

Inspector General (Law and Order) Manoj Kumar Sharma said, “Given the seriousness and scope of the incident, further investigation into the crime has been transferred to the Anti-Terrorism Squad, Maharashtra State, and a thorough investigation is being conducted.”