The probe into the car blast near Delhi's Red Fort on November 10 last year has exposed a much larger terror plan, with the sources saying the same module had plotted attacks on outlets of a global coffee chain.
The accused had also planned strikes in major Indian cities, according to the sources.
The sources also said that the "white collar terror module" had been active for the past four years.
The sources further informed that inputs from the Jammu & Kashmir Police helped stop several planned attacks in November and December across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
Meanwhile, earlier on January 4, officials had said the "white-collar" members of the module, including doctors Muzammil Ganaie, Adeel Rather and others, used a web of "ghost" SIM cards and encrypted apps to stay in touch with Pakistani handlers. They followed a "dual-phone" method, keeping separate devices for normal use and secret communication to mislead agencies.
Findings from this investigation led to a major step by the Department of Telecommunications. On November 28 last year, DoT issued an order that apps like WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal must remain linked to an active physical SIM card in the device. This was aimed at stopping the kind of untraceable communication the accused were using.
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
