• Source:JND

After the Delhi Police busted a Lashkar terror module, it has discovered the suspected handler, Shabir Ahmed Lone, was in direct contact with LeT chief Hafiz Saeed. Investigations revealed that Lone also maintained a significant connection with senior LeT commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi.

Saeed and Lakhvi are two of India’s most-wanted terrorists. They are referred to by code names 'Chachaji' and 'Tayaji' within the network, according to an NDTV report. Lone was reportedly inducted into the terror group through a handler known as Al Qama in 2005. Qama is being investigated for links to the 2025 Red Fort attack and the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

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What Was Lone's Role In Lashkar Terror Module

The Delhi Police found that Lone's primary task was to recruit and radicalise Bangladeshi nationals, directing them to reside in India as part of a larger conspiracy. While the Delhi Police arrested eight suspected terrorists, Lone remains on the run. Reports indicate that his last known location in Delhi was Shaheen Bagh, the site of major protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) between 2019 and 2020.

Lone was previously arrested by the Delhi Police in 2007, but was released from incarceration in 2018, after which he fled to Bangladesh. Upon his recent return to India, he reportedly aimed to revive the LeT's network across the country by activating sleeper cells.

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The Poster Trail

The investigation escalated after objectionable posters appeared in Delhi. Inquiry revealed that while the posters were printed in Kolkata, Lone had emailed the PDF file from Bangladesh. Two individuals allegedly responsible for pasting these posters, Umar Faruk (31), a resident of Malda, West Bengal, and Robiul Islam (31), a Bangladeshi national, have been arrested.

As per the report, Faruk was in close contact with Lone and was supposed to summon six other terrorists to Kolkata. These six were arrested in Tamil Nadu as the module was busted. Lone reportedly spent Rs 8000 monthly to rent a house in Kolkata, where he planned to set up a second base. He additionally provided Rs 80,000 and was expected to further fund the purchase of weapons.

The terrorists were communicating among themselves via messaging app Signal, which also ensures end-to-end encryption like WhatsApp.


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