Delhi Police Busts ISI-Linked Terror Module; 11 Held In Major Crackdown

The Delhi Police has arrested at least 11 people linked to an interstate terror, arms, and espionage module with possible links to Pakistan's ISI and the banned outfit Babar Khalsa International. The accused were allegedly linked to the Pakistan-based terror operatives through encrypted apps.

The accused have been identified as Manpreet Singh, Anmol, Sahil, Atul Rathee, Rohit, Ajay, Gurjeet Singh, Rimpledeep Singh, Salwinder Singh, Harpreet Singh alias Happy, and Boota Singh. Initial information suggests that the accused conned youngsters by offering money generated from the illegal sale of drugs and arms. The people were instructed to keep an eye on sensitive army and paramilitary installations and were told to get details about their locations, capturing photos and videos of the army.

The accused were also ordered to install solar-powered CCTV cameras near such locations. Nine such cameras have been recovered. This sensitive information was shared across the border to plan future attacks in India.

The Investigation

The Special Cell's crackdown comes weeks after carrying out technical surveillance and human intelligence gathering. According to the investigation, they have arrested 10 individuals, who facilitated logistics and jotted down vulnerabilities in the city's infrastructure.

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The police have also seized several electronic devices and incriminating documents. The team is currently attempting to analyse sleeper cells linked to the operation.

The first operation, led by teams of the Northern Range of the Special Cell, resulted in the arrest of six accused from Punjab and Delhi. Based on technical surveillance and human intelligence, the police recovered nine CCTV cameras; four pistols, including three foreign-made weapons; and 24 live cartridges.

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"The second operation, conducted by the Southwestern Range on inputs from military intelligence, led to the arrest of five more accused from Punjab who were actively involved in reconnaissance missions and sharing sensitive visuals of army and BSF installations," he added.

"One of the key accused, identified as Manpreet Singh from Tarn Taran in Punjab, was in direct contact with Pakistan-based handlers and played a central role in coordinating arms deliveries and facilitating communication channels. He had received consignments of foreign-made weapons and distributed them among operatives as per instructions," Economic Times quoted the official as saying.

A possible terror act has also been prevented by the arrests; information indicated that the module was preparing to use grenades and other weapons to target security facilities. Numerous interconnected networks involving terror plotting, arms smuggling, and espionage have been uncovered as a result of the crackdown.