A preliminary scan of the digital devices belonging to Rejaz M Sheeba Sydeek, a Kerala-based student activist, has revealed that he was active on the dark web, where he was allegedly making inflammatory comments and posting his ideas. The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) will send the digital devices to the cyber-forensic laboratory for a more in-depth investigation. Meanwhile, Sydeek was produced in court as his police custody (PCR) ended on Sunday. The court extended his police custody by two more days. Sources informed that the police are actively investigating the nature of his posts on dark web platforms. The dark web is a part of the internet that is not indexed by standard search engines like Google and can only be accessed through specific softwares such as Tor.

 

It provides users with anonymity and is often associated with illegal activities, including drug trafficking and data breaches. Sydeek was known to be tech-savvy and highly active on the internet. The police suspect that he may have used the dark web to connect with persons from international networks. It is worth mentioning that he had travelled to Nagpur to meet a third-year law student from Symbiosis College, whom he had connected with on Instagram. Upon his arrival in Nagpur, the two stayed at a hotel from May 5 to May 7. During that period, they visited a rifle shop where Sydeek was photographed holding firearms. Security agencies, who had been monitoring his activities, took note of this image. Based on the photo, the police tracked his location and arrested him on May 7. He has been booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and is currently being interrogated by the ATS.