Pune techie's arrest sparks worry over educated youth in terror
A Pune-based software engineer, Zubair Hangargekar, was arrested by Maharashtra's Anti-Terrorism Squad for allegedly radicalizing young people through mosque speeches and online chats.
His story stands out because he's a B.Tech grad who worked at major IT firms like Cognizant and Cybage—showing that even well-educated professionals can get drawn into extremist circles.
What investigators found so far
Hangargekar reportedly started connecting with terror groups back in 2015 and later used Telegram to discuss jihadist topics during the pandemic.
After his arrest, ATS searched homes in Solapur and Pune, seizing devices belonging to around 20 people linked to him and the alleged module.
They found material linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS on his devices, and the investigation is still ongoing as officials dig deeper into this worrying trend.