Trio Recceed RSS Office, Delhi Markets

Hyderabad: Officials probing the alleged ricin-related terror plot involving three arrested persons, including Hyderabad-based doctor Ahmed Mohiyuddin Saiyed, said the group was reported to have carried out reconnaissance near an RSS office in Lucknow and two major market areas in Delhi before their arrest. His movements in these locations are now part of the ongoing investigation into the suspected plot.

Saiyed, who completed his medical degree in China, was working at a shawarma stall in Hafeezpet after failing to pass the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE), which foreign-trained doctors must pass to work in India.

Authorities said they seized several items from his possession, including an oil press he brought home days before his arrest. Equipment and other supplies are currently being reviewed. Forensic teams are analyzing the seized substances to determine their chemical composition and potential lethality.

Saiyed’s family told the media that Saiyed’s behavior had changed recently and he would lock himself in his room for long hours. They also claimed he was “stuck in a business deal.”

Following the arrests, the Gujarat ATS searched his house or “workshop” in Rajendranagar and seized a blue barrel containing an unidentified liquid, castor pulp, four liters of castor oil, acetone bottles, sieves, funnels and oil pressing equipment. Earlier, ATS officials had seized two Glock pistols, one Beretta pistol, 30 live cartridges and other items suspected to have been used in the extraction operations.

Saiyed and two other accused were caught by Gujarat ATS while traveling in a car near Surendranagar earlier this week, based on specific intelligence data. They were arrested on suspicion of planning a chemical-based attack using ricin. Investigators also suspect the trio may have links to the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), an extremist group operating in Afghanistan.