- Shabir Ahmed Lone handled LeT terror module operations from Bangladesh targetting India
- Lone recruited and radicalised Bangladeshi nationals illegally residing in India
- He frequently visited Delhi to facilitate the recruitment of Bangladeshi nationals, sources told NDTV
Shabir Ahmed Lone, the Bangladesh-based handler, has been in the spotlight since the Special Cell of the Delhi Police busted a major Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) module terror plot on Sunday. Lone, a trained LeT terrorist, was allegedly handling the module's operation from Bangladesh.
Now, sources have told NDTV that Lone frequently visited Delhi and other parts of India to meet contacts and facilitate the recruitment of Bangladeshi nationals. His primary task, according to officials, was to recruit and radicalise individuals illegally residing in India as part of a larger conspiracy.
The last known location Lone reportedly visited in Delhi was Shaheen Bagh, the sources said. The Special Cell is now probing his local network to identify the logistical support he received during these visits.
Yesterday, officials announced the dismantling of the module and the arrest of eight operatives, including seven Bangladeshi nationals.
These arrests followed coordinated raids in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, after investigators traced the group's involvement in putting up pro-Pakistan and pro-terror posters, showcasing terrorist Burhan Wani at multiple locations in Delhi.
"The investigation began on February 8, after a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) shift in-charge submitted a written complaint at the Supreme Court Metro police station regarding pro-Pakistan and pro-terror posters pasted at the Janpath metro station. Similar posters were later found at other locations in Delhi," Additional Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Pramod Singh Kushwah said.
Read | Lashkar-Linked Terror Module Busted, 8 Arrested For Plotting Attack In India
The Special Cell, which was already tracking activities of Lashkar operatives with Bangladeshi connections in the wake of recent developments in Bangladesh, intensified human intelligence and technical surveillance.
On February 15, a raid was conducted, and two accused - Umar Faruk (31), a resident of West Bengal's Malda, and Robiul Islam (31), a native of Bangladesh - were arrested.
Shabir Ahmed Lone's Terror Network In India
Interrogations showed that Faruk met Lone in March 2025 and was indoctrinated. Lone appointed Faruk to spearhead Indian operations, instructing him to use Bangladeshi nationals who had assumed Indian identities. Under Lone's direction, Faruk rented a hideout in Kolkata to serve as a base for terrorist activities and began seeking local sources for weapons.
On February 6, Faruk and Robiul Islam boarded a plane from Kolkata to Delhi via Patna. On the night of February 7, they pasted the pro-Pakistan and pro-terror posters at 10 locations in Delhi, recorded videos of the act and sent those to Lone. They returned to Kolkata by train on February 8.
"Lone congratulated them and instructed them to replicate the act in Kolkata. They later pasted similar posters at multiple locations in the West Bengal capital and shared videos with him. Lone had another accomplice, Saidul Islam, a Bangladeshi national currently in a foreign country, who facilitated his illegal entry into Bangladesh and arranged his hideout there. Saidul Islam also provided details of the Tamil Nadu-based group to Lone and Faruk," Kushwah said.
During searches, pro-terror posters were recovered from the rented accommodations of the accused.
Investigators informed that Lone was previously arrested by the Delhi Police's Special Cell in 2007 in a case involving the recovery of arms and ammunition, including an AK-47 rifle and grenades.
Lone, from Kangan in Srinagar, had fled to Bangladesh after his release from Tihar Jail in 2018 and was working to revive the LeT's terror network in India by activating sleeper cells of Bangladeshi operatives residing illegally in the country.
Police said Lone was backed and funded by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to recruit Bangladeshi nationals residing illegally in India for planning terror plots. In addition to the 2007 case, Lone is also facing proceedings under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and is named in another criminal case registered at Delhi's Hari Nagar police station in 2011.
Police said the timely arrests have potentially averted terror strikes in India. The module had conducted reconnaissance of important installations and was in the process of arranging weapons.
