Thane Stabbing Case: A quiet early morning in the Mira Road area of Thane district turned violent when a man allegedly attacked two security guards at an under-construction building site. Investigators say the attacker first asked the guards about their religion and then demanded that they recite the Islamic declaration of faith, known as the Kalma. When they were unable to do so, he allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed them.
Police later identified the accused as Zaib Zubair Ansari, a 31-year-old resident of Naya Nagar in Mira Road. He was arrested within about ninety minutes of the incident after CCTV footage helped officers track his movements in the area.
According to investigators, the incident began when the man approached the two guards and asked them for directions to a nearby mosque. When they said they did not know the location, he reportedly asked whether they were Hindus and then walked away. Moments later he returned, pulled out a knife and attacked them.
One of the injured guards later told police that the attacker asked them to recite the Kalma before launching the assault. The two victims — security guard Subrato Sen and his supervisor Rajkumar Mishra — suffered serious injuries but survived the attack and were rushed for medical treatment.
Given the seriousness of the case, the Maharashtra government transferred the investigation to the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad. A Thane court has remanded Ansari to ATS custody until May 4 while investigators examine possible terror links and the circumstances behind the attack.
Officials searching the accused’s residence reportedly recovered a handwritten note referencing so-called “lone wolf” attacks and the extremist group Islamic State. Investigators also seized a laptop and other materials that could help determine whether he had been influenced by online extremist content.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said early findings suggest the case could involve self-radicalisation. According to him, the accused may have been influenced by certain online content and literature that shaped extremist ideas.
Authorities are now trying to determine whether Ansari acted entirely alone or whether someone else played a role in influencing him. Agencies are examining his digital activity, online searches and communication records to understand how he may have been exposed to radical ideology.
Investigators also revealed that Ansari had spent nearly two decades in the United States with his family. He reportedly lived there from around 2000 until 2020 before returning to India after his work permit expired. After coming back, he stayed in different parts of the Mumbai region before eventually settling alone in Mira Road in 2022.
Police said his wife, who is believed to be of Afghan origin, had already returned to the United States earlier.
The suspect was produced before a court in Bhayander after his arrest by the Mira-Bhayander-Vasai-Virar Police. Because of the sensitive nature of the case, officials decided to transfer the investigation from the local Nayanagar police station to the ATS.
Security agencies are now carefully examining the evidence recovered from the accused’s residence, including the note referring to lone wolf attacks. Investigators say they are also trying to identify the sources of radical material that may have influenced him.
Authorities have stressed that the probe is still in its early stages and that all angles — including possible online radicalisation and any external influence — are being thoroughly examined.