Delhi Police bust LeT module with Bangladesh links, 8 arrested across three states

In a major counter-terror operation across three states, the Delhi Police Special Cell has busted a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) module, arresting eight operatives, including seven Bangladeshi nationals who had illegally entered India using forged identity documents , officials said on Sunday.

The arrests followed coordinated raids in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu , after investigators traced the group’s involvement in pasting pro-Pakistan and pro-terror posters at multiple locations in Delhi, including Janpath Metro station. The posters glorified slain terrorist Burhan Wani and carried slogans such as “India stop genocide” and “Free Kashmir.”

The module was reportedly controlled from Bangladesh by Shabir Ahmad Lone alias Raja alias Kashmiri, a trained LeT operative from Jammu and Kashmir previously arrested in 2007 for possession of arms including an AK-47 and grenades. Lone fled to Bangladesh after his release from Tihar Jail in 2018 and was working to revive LeT’s network in India through sleeper cells of Bangladeshi operatives.

The investigation began on February 8 after a CISF official lodged a complaint regarding the posters. Police traced two suspects to Kolkata , leading to the arrest of Umar Faruk and Robiul Islam on February 15. On February 21 , raids in Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu , resulted in the arrest of six more operatives from Bangladesh’s Bogura district .

Interrogation revealed that Faruk had been tasked to conduct reconnaissance of vital installations , send videos to Lone, recruit more operatives, and arrange weapons. Searches yielded posters, 10 mobile phones, 25 credit and debit cards, five POS machines , and Bangladeshi passports. Authorities are probing hawala links and other financial transactions.

Officials said the arrests likely averted potential terror strikes . The case has also highlighted security concerns in Tiruppur(Tamil Nadu), one of India’s largest textile hubs , which has around 2.2 lakh migrant workers registered on the labour portal. Monitoring of migrant workers will be intensified to prevent illegal entry or misuse of forged documents.

Further investigation is underway to uncover other associates and the full extent of the network operating across India.