New Delhi: In a major counter-terror operation, the Special Cell of the Delhi Police has arrested Shabbir Ahmad Lone, a key operative linked to the Pakistan-backed terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, near the national capital’s border.
Investigators say Lone was allegedly operating a covert terror module from a hideout near Dhaka, orchestrating anti-India activities and coordinating recruitment networks across multiple Indian states.
Delhi Police and security agencies have arrested a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)-linked terrorist, Shabbir Ahmed Lone, near the Delhi border. Acting on specific intelligence inputs, officials laid a trap and successfully apprehended him.
Preliminary investigations suggest that he was… pic.twitter.com/979vEBICz9
— The Daily Guardian (@DailyGuardian1) March 30, 2026
Metro Poster Case Link Surfaces
According to officials, Lone’s name surfaced during the probe into a recently busted Lashkar module connected to the controversial “Metro poster case,” where anti-India posters were found across several locations in Delhi. Authorities believe he played a central role in planning and supervising these activities.
Recruitment and Radicalisation Network
The investigation has revealed a wider conspiracy involving the recruitment and indoctrination of youth. Lone is suspected to have targeted individuals from cities such as Delhi, Kolkata, and parts of Tamil Nadu.
Police sources indicate that he frequently used illegal cross-border routes to move between Bangladesh and India, facilitating both recruitment and operational planning.
Shaheen Bagh Visit Under Scanner
Officials further revealed that Lone had allegedly visited Shaheen Bagh last year as part of his efforts to identify and influence vulnerable youth. This detail emerged during the interrogation of eight suspected module members, including six Bangladeshi nationals, arrested earlier from Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
Links to Pakistan-Based Handlers
Security agencies suspect that Lone maintained close ties with Pakistan-based terror infrastructure, including Jamaat-ud-Dawa and its top leadership such as Hafiz Saeed and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi.
Ongoing Investigation
Officials say the arrest is a significant breakthrough in dismantling cross-border terror networks operating through sleeper cells and digital propaganda. Further interrogation is underway to uncover the full extent of the module and its potential links within India.
The crackdown highlights growing concerns over the use of transnational routes and local networks to fuel extremist activities, prompting agencies to intensify surveillance and counter-radicalisation efforts nationwide.
