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Published : 31 Mar 2026, 01:16 AM
Delhi police say they have dismantled a module of the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba and arrested eight people, seven of them allegedly from Bangladesh, in an operation across several Indian states, according to NDTV.
The mastermind of the arrestees was allegedly from Bangladesh, the report added on Monday.
The Delhi Police Special Cell said the group had been preparing a major terrorist attack in India, which authorities said was prevented by the arrests.
According to NDTV, the arrests were made in Delhi, Kolkata and Tamil Nadu’s Tiruppur.
Police identified the alleged network leader as Shabbir Ahmed Lone, who was arrested near the Bangladesh border, according to a report by The Times of India.
The investigation began on Feb 8 after suspicious posters appeared at Delhi’s Janpath Metro Station.
The posters contained pro-Pakistan slogans, inflammatory messages about Kashmir, images of militant Burhan Wani, Urdu text stating “We are Pakistanis, Pakistan is ours”, and references to “Kashmiri Solidarity Day”.
The case was handed to the Special Cell, which launched an investigation using surveillance, CCTV footage, human intelligence and digital data analysis, NDTV reported.
On Feb 15, raids in Kolkata led to the arrest of two alleged key members of the group, Umar Farooq and Robiul Islam.
On Feb 21, six more suspects were arrested in simultaneous raids across multiple locations in Tiruppur.
Police said the seven Bangladeshi nationals had entered India illegally and were using fake Indian identity cards to conceal their identities.
During questioning, Umar told investigators he first came into contact with Lone in March last year.
Lone allegedly radicalised him and tasked him with expanding Lashkar-e-Taiba activities inside India.
He was reportedly instructed to carry out reconnaissance of important locations, film them, recruit Bangladeshi nationals into the network, and arrange weapons through local contacts.
Police said these instructions indicated the group was moving beyond propaganda activities towards planning a major attack.
Police said the breakthrough came on Mar 29 when Lone was arrested near the Ghazipur drain in Delhi in an operation involving central agencies.
Officers said he had entered India illegally through the Nepal border after hiding in Bangladesh, from where he had allegedly been directing the group.
According to intelligence agencies cited by NDTV, Lone was in direct contact with senior Lashkar-e-Taiba handlers based in Pakistan, including Abu Huzaifa, Sumama Babar and Abdul Rahman.
He was also said to have links with Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen Commander Abu Talha and Asif Dar, a militant designated under India’s Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Police said Lone had previously been arrested by Delhi Police in 2007, when AK-47 rifles and grenades were recovered from him, and investigators established links to Lashkar-e-Taiba leaders Hafiz Saeed and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi. He remained in Tihar Jail until 2018 before fleeing to Bangladesh after his release.
Investigators said Lone’s objective was to infiltrate Bangladeshi nationals into India, use them for militant activities, and build sleeper cells across the country to carry out large-scale attacks at an opportune time.
On Monday, a Delhi court remanded Lone to five days of police custody.
