Delhi Police foil major terror plot; eight arrested for targeting Delhi, Mumbai
The Delhi Police Special Cell has arrested eight people in connection with an alleged conspiracy to carry out attacks at strategic locations in Delhi, Mumbai, and other parts of the country. According to officials, the arrests averted potential major incidents.
Addressing the media on Saturday, Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Anil Shukla said the accused were part of a module allegedly linked to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and individuals associated with the Mumbai underworld. "We have collected evidence, including pictures, videos, and coordinates of specific government and non-government buildings and security establishments where these attacks were being planned," he said.
The investigation began earlier this month with the arrest of two individuals — Vijay and Nitish Paswan — from Pune and Sahibganj in Jharkhand respectively. Police said interrogation revealed their links to a network controlled by Shahzad Bhatti, a Pakistan-based gangster, and Munna Jhingada, an associate of Dawood Ibrahim who was extradited from Thailand after serving time in a Bangkok prison.
Further technical surveillance and questioning led to the arrest on May 27 of Taoqeer Rizwan and Arbaz Khan from Mumbai. Police said the two were allegedly in touch with ISI handlers and with Jhingada via social media platforms such as Instagram and WhatsApp. They had reportedly formed a team for carrying out major attacks in Delhi, Mumbai, Punjab, and Chandigarh.
Acting on information provided by the accused, the police intercepted three Punjab residents — Manjeet Singh, Gagandeep Singh, and Harvinder Singh — at the Mehrauli-Badarpur road in the early hours of Saturday. "From them, we recovered four hand grenades, two Glock pistols, and 25 live cartridges," said Mr. Shukla. Investigators also found documents containing details of targeted locations.
During interrogation, these three revealed their connection to Ang Kami Lama, a 66-year-old Nepali national who reportedly met Jhingada while both were imprisoned in Bangkok. Lama is suspected to have been tasked with providing logistics and managing finances for the attacks, the police said. Preliminary findings suggest the weapons were dropped using drones.
The police said the module had plans to target government and security establishments, as well as crowded areas, in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Punjab, and Chandigarh. No casualties have been reported, and the situation is under control.
The Special Cell, a specialised unit of Delhi Police, handles cases related to terrorism and organised crime. This operation highlights the continuing efforts to disrupt cross-border networks that pose a threat to national security.
Investigation is continuing to ascertain the roles of other individuals, including some Nepali citizens and persons of Nepali origin linked to the network. The accused have been booked under relevant sections of law, and further legal proceedings are underway.
