Noida: In a small house in Greater Noida’s Chhapraula village, a 55-year-old mother, Karishma Sharma waits for her ‘Babu’ to return home. She is unaware that her son was arrested under suspicion of anti-national activities.Lokesh Sharma (18) was among the four men arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squard (ATS) on Thursday for allegedly operating under the directions of Pakistani handlers and planning arson attacks on railway infrastructure and conducting reconnaissance of key installations and public assets across multiple cities under sections of BNS and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).Police said the group had planned to damage railway signal boxes, set fire to gas cylinder-laden trucks, and target prominent establishments to spread fear. In some cases, the men had already carried out minor arson incidents, recorded videos, and sent them to their handlers in exchange for money transferred through QR codes.The ATS said handlers used provocative identities and extremist narratives online to instigate the accused to carry out attacks, including targeting vehicles on religious lines and executing acts aligned with broader terror propaganda.Lokesh and his close friend Vikas Gehlawat, another Greater Noida resident who was also arrested, were recruited through social media. They had allegedly conducted reconnaissance activities in cities including Ghaziabad, Aligarh and Lucknow. Officers said they often received Google location pins of sites from the handlers after which they would recce the areas and share video footage.
He lived with his parents and elder brother
Lokesh is a daily-wage worker. He lived with his mother, a 60-year-old ailing father and an elder brother named Lucky in a dilapidated house with damp walls. The kucha-pucca structure has plaster peeling off its walls, and the exposed bricks tell the story of need, hunger, and poverty.Lokesh’s father Rohtas Sharma said his younger son was extremely close to his mother Karishma, who also suffers from mental health issues. Last Dec, she broke her hip in an accident. Lokesh became her support system and would take her in and out of the hospital.“On Thursday, he was at work when he was called to the police chowki. We were told that the police had called him to sign some forms related to the Dec accident. But he never returned. We rushed to the police station when his phone was switched off,” his father said.The family claimed they were unaware of any of his involvement in a ‘spy ring’.His elder brother, Lucky, who is an undergraduate student, said his brother was never much interested in studies. He was always active on social media and made reels on Instagram with his friends. But he had big dreams. “ He always spoke about earning a lot of money and improving the family’s standing in our society,” Lucky said. “Police have claimed that Vikas was his best friend, but we have never seen or heard about him.”Lokesh had allegedly gone to Himachal Pradesh for work last month, the family said. Police are now examining whether the trip had any connection to the alleged conspiracy.“He was never active on his phone at night. If he was involved in such activities, his behaviour would have changed, but it was the same,” Rohtas said.Lokesh was known among his friends and neighbours as Paplu Pandit. He had even tattooed the name. One of his neighbours told TOI Lokesh was a sincere man and always greeted people with a smile. “We used to sit and chat together. But sometimes he would get a call and his expressions would change. He would walk to the corner and speak secretively,” the neighbour said.
