Pakistani man crosses border to attack Nupur Sharma, arrested in Rajasthan; 11-inch knife recovered

He was captured by BSF personnel along the boundary fence in the Sri Ganganagar area. Two knives, religious literature, and other items were discovered from him, according to reports.

Team Newsable

First Published Jul 19, 2022, 6:56 PM IST | Last Updated Jul 19, 2022, 6:56 PM IST

The Border Security Force (BSF) apprehended a Pakistani man in Rajasthan's Sri Ganganagar last week, the security force announced on Tuesday. He allegedly crossed the border to assassinate former BJP spokesman Nupur Sharma. Rizwan Ashraf, a 24-year-old citizen of Pakistan's Punjab region, was apprehended near 11 p.m. on July 16 at the India-Pakistan International Border in Rajasthan.

He was captured by BSF personnel along the boundary fence in the Sri Ganganagar area. Two knives, religious literature, and other items were discovered from him, according to sources. An 11-inch sharp knife, religious texts, maps, clothing, and food items were discovered in his possession during the search.

Also Read | Big relief for Nupur Sharma: Supreme Court says no arrest till August 10

During the interrogation with the BSF, the man said he travelled to the border to visit Ajmer Sharif but then admitted to wanting to kill Nupur Sharma for making provocative statements about Prophet Mohammad.

Sri Ganganagar SP Anand Sharma stated to the media, "He stated that he travelled to India to take action against Nupur Sharma as a result of her allegations. He had no idea where she lived and just went over because he was spiritually motivated." A joint team of intelligence agency Intelligence Bureau (IB), Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and military agency is interrogating him.

According to recent reports, the Pakistani national was taken into custody by authorities and held till July 24.

Also Read | 'Should have gone to TV, apologised to the nation': SC to Nupur Sharma on Prophet remark

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