After Lashkar Terrorist's Arrest, Delhi Police Says 'Major Attack Averted'

The Delhi Police Special Cell has dismantled a Bangladeshi module of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba terror group, arresting eight individuals, including the network's mastermind, Shabbir Ahmed Lone, in a counter-terrorism operation spanning multiple states.

The arrests took place in Delhi, Kolkata and Tamil Nadu's Tiruppur. According to the police, the module was preparing for a major terrorist attack in India, which was foiled .The operation began on February 8 after reports emerged of suspicious posters appearing at Delhi's Janpath Metro Station. The posters carried pro-Pakistan slogans, inflammatory messages about Kashmir, and images of terrorist Burhan Wani.

They also contained Urdu text stating "We are Pakistanis, Pakistan is ours" and references to "Kashmiri Solidarity Day". Similar posters were later found in several other areas of Delhi. The case was handed over to the Special Cell, which launched an investigation using surveillance, CCTV footage, human intelligence and digital data analysis. 

On February 15, raids in Kolkata led to the arrest of two key members of the module, Umar Farooq and Robiul Islam. 

On February 21, six more individuals were arrested in simultaneous raids across multiple locations in Tiruppur. 

Seven of the eight arrested are Bangladeshi nationals who had entered India illegally and were using fake Indian identity cards to hide their identities. Interrogation of the accused, particularly Umar Farooq, revealed critical details about the network's operations. 

Umar Farooq told investigators that he first came into contact with Shabbir Ahmed Lone in March last year. Lone gradually radicalised him and gave him the task of advancing Lashkar-e-Taiba activities inside India. Umar Farooq was specifically instructed to conduct reconnaissance of important locations across the country, film them, and recruit Bangladeshis into the network. He was also directed to arrange weapons within India through local contacts. 

According to the police, these instructions showed the module was moving beyond propaganda towards planning a major terrorist attack. Investigators found that on the night of and February 6 and 7, Umar Farooq and an accomplice travelled to Delhi and pasted pro-Pakistan posters at around 10 different locations. They recorded videos of the activity and sent them to their handler, Shabbir Ahmed Lone, who praised the work and told them to continue such operations.

During searches of the accused's hideouts, police recovered 10 mobile phones, 25 debit and credit cards, 5 Point of Sale (POS) machines, Bangladeshi passports, and multiple incriminating posters. 

The breakthrough came on March 29 when the Special Cell, working with central agencies, arrested Shabbir Ahmed Lone near the Ghazipur drain in Delhi. Lone had entered India illegally through the Nepal border after hiding in Bangladesh, from where he had been directing the module.

According to intelligence agencies, Shabbir Ahmed Lone was in direct contact with senior Lashkar-e-Taiba handlers based in Pakistan, including Abu Huzaifa, Sumama Babar and Abdul Rahman. He was acting on their instructions to re-establish the terror network in India. Lone also maintained links with Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen commander Abu Talha and Asif Dar, a terrorist designated under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. 

In 2007, Delhi Police arrested Lone and recovered AK-47 rifles and grenades from his possession. At the time, his connections to Lashkar-e-Taiba leaders Hafiz Saeed and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi were established. He remained in Tihar Jail until 2018. After his release, he fled to Bangladesh.

According to the police, Lone's objective was to infiltrate Bangladeshi nationals into India, use them for terrorist activities, and build sleeper cells across the country for carrying out large-scale attacks at an opportune time.

On Monday, a Delhi court remanded Shabbir Ahmed Lone to five days of police custody. Judicial Magistrate Vijayshree Rathore allowed the plea after Delhi Police described him as a "hardcore and highly trained terrorist" who had established links with handlers operating on behalf of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).