• Source:JND
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The Delhi Police Special Cell, in coordination with central agencies, conducted a major counter-terrorism operation on Wednesday night, arresting five ISIS-linked terrorists from different states. Two suspects were apprehended in Delhi, one in Ranchi, and raids were conducted across Delhi, Mumbai, and Jharkhand, with IED-making parts recovered. Aaftab and Sufiyan were identified as explosives experts.

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Investigations revealed that the accused were in contact with handlers in Pakistan through multiple social media accounts, which are under verification. The group, led by Ashraf Danish, operated from India while maintaining communication with Pakistan-based individuals via encrypted and social media platforms to radicalise and recruit youth.

Police sources also stated that the group ran online networks to spread communal hatred and disturb religious harmony. Raids across four to five states led to questioning of eight suspects.

Additional CP of the Special Cell, Pramod Singh Kushwaha, said that of the five people arrested, one is from Jharkhand, two are from Delhi but originally residents of Mumbai, one is from Telangana, and one is from Rajgarh in Madhya Pradesh.

From Danish’s possession, authorities recovered Sulphur powder, sulphuric acid, nitric acid, sodium bicarbonate, a pH checker, ball bearings, equipment for making an IED, wires, motherboards, laptops, mobile phones, as well as weapons and cartridges, believed to be intended for making weapons and explosives.

Pramod Singh Kushwaha, Additional CP of the Special Cell, said, "Five people have been arrested, and this was a Pakistan handler-backed pan-India terror module. Among the people who have been arrested, one is from Jharkhand, two from Delhi, who were basically residents of Mumbai, one is from Telangana and one is from Rajgarh in Madhya Pradesh. Sulphur powder, Sulphuric acid, nitric acid, sodium bicarbonate, pH weighing checker, ball bearings and equipment which can be used for making an IED, wires, motherboards, laptops and mobile phones plus weapons and cartridges have been found from them.”

The arrested youths were being directed by a Pakistani handler to operate under a “Khilafat model,” with plans to set up a base and build a larger team. The group was led by Danish from Jharkhand, who used the ID “Ghazwa Leader” with the code name “CEO.” 

“The Pak handler who was tasking them, that task was basically to adopt a Khilafat model. They had to acquire a place and prepare a team of many people. The leader of the team had an ID Ghazwa Leader and he kept his code name as CEO. The central character in this was Danish. All five people who were arrested are young boys between 20 to 26 years of age. Danish is from Jharkhand; major recovery has been made from him. He was in touch with the handler of Pakistan and he had connected the whole group. He had this Ghazwa leader ID and he was called the CEO. The other character with him was Aftab Ansari,” he said.

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“He lives near Mumbai and is a resident of Thane district. His task was targeted killing. For which he had acquired weapons from somewhere and when he was about to return from Delhi after acquiring weapons, he and his associate, Sufiyan Abubakar, were arrested. One of their associates, Kamran Qureshi, has been arrested from Rajgarh in Madhya Pradesh, and a fifth man, Huzaifa, has been arrested from Nizamabad, Telangana. This was a homegrown operation. So, acquiring weapons, including making IED, even cartridges, they were told to prepare on their own. Some incriminating drawings have also been found from them," he added. 

(With ANI Inputs)