SAA event in Uttarakhand, Jhajhra, Premnagar area, India on Thu 9th April 2026

On April 9, Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) arrested a 29-year-old man, Vikrant Kashyap, a resident of the Jhajhra area in Premnagar in Uttarakhand, for suspected involvement in anti-national activities and conspiring to establish a foothold for the terror outfit ‘Tehreek-e-Taliban Hindustan’ (TTH) in the state, reports The New Indian Express. STF also recovered one .32 bore pistol, seven live cartridges, a spray paint can and a mobile phone containing incriminating evidence. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), STF, Ajay Singh, stated that the unit had been tracking leads concerning radicalised youth being recruited by Pakistani intelligence, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) operatives, through social media platforms. According to Police, Kashyap had come under the influence of Pakistani handlers, specifically identified as Shahzad Bhatti and an associate known as 'Rana'. The handlers assigned Kashyap tasks to create an atmosphere of terror. Kashyap was instructed to conduct reconnaissance of sensitive locations in Dehradun, including the Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT), the Police Headquarters and other vital government installations. Following these directives, Kashyap spray-painted ‘TTH’ at various public locations, including near Subharti Hospital, Advani Pul and Balaji Mandir in Jhajhra. Kashyap had reportedly sent video footage of these acts, along with reconnaissance footage of the Jhajhra Police outpost, back to his handlers in Pakistan. Investigators also identified a plot to target activists and a Supreme Court lawyer (identity not yet revealed) in Delhi using a hand grenade. The handlers had promised to facilitate his escape to Dubai via Nepal, offering financial rewards for Kashyap’s cooperation.