Uttar Pradesh Police have detained two suspected Kashmiri men, allegedly after villagers complained about their suspicious activities in Bareilly district, officials said on Sunday.
The incident came to light on Saturday morning when villagers complained, on the police's X handle, about two Kashmiri men who allegedly were found begging at houses in Dhimri village in the Ahladpur area, police said.
Izzatnagar police launched a search after suspecting their language and manner of speaking, they said.
The suspects attempted to evade police by mingling with the crowd and offering namaz. However, after villagers spotted them again, police apprehended them, Izzatnagar Station House Officer (SHO) Bijendra Singh said.
During questioning, the men identified themselves as Shaukat Ali and Sajjad, both residents of Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir, he said.
The duo told interrogators that they had been staying in a local mosque and had arrived in the city on December 10 and had been staying in the Dhimri village since then, police said.
The detainee also claimed that they were poor and survived by begging, police said, adding that no significant information has emerged so far.
Intelligence agencies are also interrogating them, police said, adding that, prima facie, their activities appeared suspicious.
Soon after their detention, the Local Intelligence Unit (LIU) also joined the probe, the SHO said.
The photographs and Aadhaar details of the two men have been sent to Jammu and Kashmir Police for verification, the SHO said.
Further questioning is underway, officials said.
