Officer from Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) yesterday arrested a 31-year-old ISIS operative from Parbhani — radicalised by a Syria-based ISIS handler — who was preparing to carry out a ‘major operation’ soon. The operative was identified as Nazir Bin Yafai Chaus. A civil contractor, Nazir hails from a middle-class family in Parbhani.

An officer said they received a tip-off about a man named Nazir who was using various platforms on the Internet to contact ISIS handler Faruq in Syria, following which they started monitoring his online activities.