Delhi Police on Monday announced the arrest of Shabir Ahmad Lone, an alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist accused of leading a module of “highly radicalised operatives.” The group is suspected of defacing walls at several Delhi Metro stations last month and planning further terror-related activities.
Lone’s arrest comes over a month after pro-Pakistan and pro-terror posters were found at Janpath Metro Station in February, with similar material later discovered at multiple locations across the capital. Police said the posters, which glorified slain militant Burhan Wani, also carried anti-India slogans. The investigation was subsequently handed over to the Special Cell, the counter-terrorism unit of Delhi Police.
Earlier, authorities had arrested eight individuals—mostly Bangladeshi nationals—who allegedly entered India illegally, obtained forged identity documents, and conducted reconnaissance of key installations for possible terror strikes.
According to Additional Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Pramod Singh Kushwah, the arrests followed coordinated raids in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. Lone, also known by aliases Raja and Kashmiri, was identified as the head of the module and was believed to be operating from Bangladesh.
Investigators said Lone planned to use Bangladeshi operatives posing as Indian citizens to carry out attacks. In December 2025, one of the accused, Umar, was allegedly instructed to survey sensitive locations and share video footage for evaluation.
Police further revealed that Umar and an associate travelled from Kolkata to Delhi via Patna on February 6, pasted posters at around 10 locations on February 7, recorded videos, and returned to Kolkata the next day. These videos were reportedly sent to Lone, who praised the act and directed them to repeat it in Kolkata.
Officials added that Lone also instructed his associates to arrange weapons through local contacts and had rented accommodation in Kolkata to be used as a hideout and operational base.
