New Delhi: In a major counter-terrorism breakthrough, an operative of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), accused of planning attacks in India while based in Bangladesh, was arrested near the Delhi border, reports quoting officials confirmed on Monday.
The accused LeT commander, Shabbir Ahmad Lone, also known as Raja or Kashmiri, is a resident of Kangan in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar. He was arrested by the Delhi Police’s Special Cell in coordination with central agencies after being under surveillance for his alleged involvement in orchestrating terror operations targeting India.
Lone Was Operating Terror Modules From Bangladesh
Lone, who was allegedly operating a terror module from a hideout near Dhaka, had been on the radar of Indian security agencies for his involvement in recruiting youths for terrorist activities across multiple cities, including Delhi, Kolkata and parts of Tamil Nadu.
According to a Times of India report, the arrest follows a two-month-long operation described by officials as a cat-and-mouse chase, closely monitored by Police Commissioner Satish Golcha. A special team led by Additional CP Pramod Kushwaha, ACP Lalit Negi, and Inspector Sunil Rajain tracked Lone’s movements before finally apprehending him.
Lone Was Arrested By Delhi Police In 2007
Lone had earlier been arrested by the Delhi Police in 2007 on terror-related charges. After securing bail in 2019, he allegedly fled to Bangladesh, where he is believed to have re-established links and set up a Lashkar-e-Taiba module, posing a renewed threat to Indian security.
Security agencies had flagged his activities as a growing concern, particularly after inputs suggested he was actively involved in radicalisation and recruitment efforts targeting Indian youths.
Officials also indicated that Lone’s arrest is part of a broader crackdown on terror operatives with links to India. Agencies are now intensifying efforts to trace Sheikh Sajjad Gul, another key figure with past connections to Delhi.
Gul, who was arrested in 2002 from Nizamuddin railway station and later convicted in 2003, spent over a decade in Tihar Jail before being released in 2017. He reportedly fled to Pakistan soon after and is currently believed to be leading The Resistance Front (TRF), considered a proxy outfit of Lashkar-e-Taiba. TRF has been linked to several recent terror attacks, including the Pahalgam incident, making Gul a high-priority target for Indian agencies.
Lone is currently being interrogated to uncover further details about his network, funding channels and potential sleeper cells, as agencies continue efforts to dismantle cross-border terror operations targeting India.
