In a shocking incident on Monday, a US-returned man stabbed and seriously injured two security guards in Mira Road, a suburb of Mumbai, in a suspected religiously motivated attack.
The accused, Zaib Zubair Ansari, 31, was arrested within 90 minutes of the crime. The victims, Rajkumar Mishra and Subroto Ramesh Sen, were admitted to Wockhardt Hospital. Mishra's condition remains critical, while Sen is also receiving medical care.
According to police, the attack occurred around 4 am at an under-construction building behind Wockhardt Hospital, following an altercation between Ansari and the guards. While authorities did not specify the cause of the dispute, an NDTV report quoted sources saying the accused demanded that the guards recite the 'kalma', the Islamic declaration of faith.
Naya Nagar police filed charges against Ansari, including attempted murder and promoting enmity between groups. He was produced in a local court in Thane and sent to police custody until May 4.
Later, the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) took over the investigation due to Ansari’s background. Sources said authorities recovered incriminating documents and videos from his phone, including notes referencing “ISIS,” “Gaza,” “jihad,” and “lone wolf”.
Security agencies are now investigating whether he was preparing for a lone-wolf attack. ATS teams have already questioned Ansari in Mira Road and conducted a search of his residence.
Born in Mumbai’s Kurla area, Ansari had gone to the US for higher studies and returned to India in 2019.
