The Delhi Police Special Cell on Monday arrested Shabir Ahmed Lone, a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist and alleged handler of a recently busted module linked to the Metro Poster case.
According to officials, Lone is suspected to be a sleeper cell operative associated with the proscribed terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba. Further details regarding the arrest are awaited, news agency ANI reported.
Links To Busted Terror Module
Earlier, on February 23, Delhi Police had arrested eight suspects in connection with the same module. Investigations revealed that the group was allegedly working under the direction of Lone, who had previously served a decade in jail on terror charges.
Sources said Lone was released on bail in 2019 and later fled to Bangladesh. He is believed to have been in direct contact with top LeT commanders, including Hafeez Saeed and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, both accused as masterminds of the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
Recruitment And Radicalisation Network
Investigators suspect that Lone was tasked with recruiting and radicalising illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in India. Through a network of touts, he allegedly arranged fake identity documents, including Aadhaar cards, for recruits.
Sources further claimed that Lone pursuaded the eight arrested individuals into following the LeT ideology and provided them with weapons, allegedly with plans to carry out attacks in crowded areas or at religious sites.
The Delhi Police are currently questioning the arrested suspects to ascertain the intended targets and scope of the alleged plot.
