New Delhi, Feb 22: The Delhi Police Special Cell has dismantled a Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terror module by arresting eight operatives during coordinated raids across West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. The group, which includes seven Bangladeshi nationals who entered India illegally, was allegedly plotting terror strikes and conducted reconnaissance of vital installations under the direction of a handler based in Bangladesh.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Pramod Singh Kushwah stated that the investigation was triggered on February 8 after pro-Pakistan and pro-terror posters were discovered at the Janpath metro station and other prominent locations in the national capital. Technical surveillance and human intelligence led a specialized team to Kolkata, where the initial arrests of Umar Faruk and Robiul Islam were made on February 15. Subsequent raids in Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu, on February 21 resulted in the apprehension of six more Bangladeshi nationals.
The module was allegedly managed by Shabir Ahmad Lone, a trained LeT terrorist from Jammu and Kashmir who fled to Bangladesh in 2018. Officials asserted that Lone, who has documented links to high-ranking terror leadership in Pakistan, was tasked by the ISI with activating sleeper cells using individuals residing illegally in India under forged identities. “The handler directed the suspects to document their activities, including the placement of provocative posters, and send videos as proof of their work,” Kushwah affirmed.
During the searches, police seized incriminating materials, including pro-terror posters, 10 mobile phones, and various Bangladeshi identity documents. Investigators also recovered several credit cards and point-of-sale machines, which are being analyzed to trace potential “hawala” or illegal financial channels. The Special Cell maintained that the timely detection of this network has likely averted planned attacks, as the group was in the process of procuring weapons for further operations.
