Sambhal: The prime accused in the 2024 Sambhal violence case has been traced abroad and efforts are underway to extradite him to India with the help of intelligence agencies and Interpol, police said on Thursday.

Sharik Sata, along with his associates, had planned the violence in Sambhal the same day the second survey of Shahi Jama Masjid was conducted on November 24 last year, resulting in the death of four persons and injuries to 29 policemen, Superintendent of Police (SP) Krishna Kumar Bishnoi told reporters.

“The prime accused, Sharik Sata, is currently abroad. Police are making all possible efforts to locate him. His past contacts in India are being traced, and intelligence agencies have been roped in. Once his location is confirmed, he will be brought back to India through Interpol channels,” the SP said, without specifying the country.

Call records of those close to Sharik are being scanned to trace the country in which he is hiding, he said.

Another accused Mulla Afroz, an aide of Sharik and currently lodged in Moradabad jail, has been booked under the National Security Act (NSA), Bishnoi said.

The NSA empowers the Centre and states to detain individuals to prevent them from acting in a manner “prejudicial to the defence of India”. The maximum detention period is 12 months, though it can be revoked earlier.

It can be invoked by the local administration and has to be ratified by a board headed by a former high court judge. Because it is preventive detention and not arrest, there is no legal obligation to present the detainee before a court of law.

Bishnoi added that Afroz faces 11 criminal cases and has a history of serious crimes, including loot and murder. He was also involved in a 2014 incident of firing outside the residence of current Samajwadi Party MLA Iqbal Mehmood, he said.

He also said that other accused persons involved in planning and inciting the violence will face action under the NSA.

The Sambhal dispute dates back to November 19, 2024, when Hindu petitioners, including advocates Hari Shankar Jain and Vishnu Shankar Jain, filed a suit in the Sambhal district court claiming the Shahi Jama Masjid was built over a temple.

A court ordered survey was conducted on the same day (November 19), followed by another on November 24, the day on which violence broke.

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