Bangladesh-linked LeT module busted
Averting possible terror strikes, the Special Cell of Delhi Police has dismantled a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) module with alleged Bangladeshi links, arresting eight operatives from Kolkata and Tamil Nadu.
Seven of the arrested accused are Bangladeshi nationals who had allegedly entered India illegally and procured Indian identity documents to conceal their nationality, the police alleges. The module was allegedly being handled by Shabir Ahmad Lone, a trained Kashmiri LeT operative currently based in Bangladesh. Additional Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Pramod Singh Kushwah said raids in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu exposed a wider conspiracy to revive sleeper cells in India.
The arrests follow a case registered on February 8 after pro-Pakistan and pro-terror posters were found pasted at various locations in Delhi, including the Janpath metro station. The posters allegedly glorified slain Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist Burhan Wani and carried slogans such as “India stop genocide & Free Kashmir” along with Urdu phrases supporting Pakistan. Due to the sensitive nature of the case, the investigation was transferred to the Special Cell.
During the probe, officers developed intelligence about LeT operatives and their Bangladeshi connections. The trail led investigators to Kolkata, where on February 15, two accused — Umar Faruk, 31, of Malda, West Bengal, and Robiul Islam, 31, a Bangladeshi national from Thakurgaon — were arrested from a hideout in Majherpara, Hatiara Gote, the police claims.
Further raids were conducted in Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu, on February 21, resulting in the arrest of six additional accused, all Bangladeshi nationals, allege the police. They were identified as Md. Mizanur Rehman, Md. Sefayat Hossain, Md. Zahidul Islam, Md. Liton, Md. Uzzal and Umar, aged between 27 and 40 years.
Investigators recovered multiple pro-Pak and pro-terror posters, 10 mobile phones containing incriminating material, 25 credit and debit cards, five POS machines, and Bangladeshi passports and identity cards from their rented accommodations.
During interrogation, Umar Faruk alleged Shabir Ahmad Lone indoctrinated him. Lone allegedly appointed Faruk to spearhead LeT operations in India using Bangladeshi nationals who had assumed Indian identities.
Police said Umar and Robiul travelled to Delhi via Patna on February 6 and 7 and pasted posters at 10 locations in the city. They allegedly recorded videos of the act and sent them to Lone, who later directed them to carry out similar activities in Kolkata.
Lone, a resident of Srinagar, was earlier arrested by the Special Cell in 2007 in a case involving the recovery of arms and ammunition, including an AK-47 and grenades. He remained lodged in Tihar Jail till 2018 and later fled to Bangladesh. Police said he had links with Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and had undergone terror training in Muzaffarabad.
