Eight Nabbed in Anti-Terror Crackdown, Investigators Find Pakistan and Bangladesh Links

New Delhi: Delhi Police has made a big blast—dismantled a big terror module linked to Pakistan's ISI and Bangladesh's extremist groups. On Sunday, officials said that a total of 8 people have been arrested from Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. These people were planning a major terrorist attack in India, and all this was at the behest of foreign handlers.

Where were the arrests made and who was caught?

Six people were caught from garment factories in Tirupur district of Tamil Nadu—their names are Mijanur Rahman, Mohammed Shabat, Umar, Mohammed Litan, Mohammed Shahid and Mohammed Ujjal. These are mostly said to be Bangladeshi citizens. Two more people were arrested from West Bengal. Police are saying that many of them had hidden their identities by using fake Aadhaar cards. Everyone is now being brought to Delhi for questioning and legal action.

How was this module captured?

First of all, provocative posters were put up at many places in Delhi – even in Delhi Metro. The posters mentioned Kashmir and had inflammatory content. When the Special Cell of Delhi Police started investigating these posters, it was found that they were linked to a network operating from Tamil Nadu. From there the investigation proceeded and the link of ISI to Bangladeshi terror groups came to light. This was a coordinated operation in which many agencies were involved.

What was recovered?

8 mobile phones and 16 SIM cards were seized in the operation. All of them are now under forensic investigation – more operatives are being traced through digital evidence. Police say that these people were posting messages and communicating on social media in support of Pakistan-based terror outfits.

How big a breakthrough is this?

Police are calling it a very successful operation – a major terror conspiracy was stopped. The investigation is now underway to find out whether more people are involved, where the funding is coming from, and how deep the cross-border connections go. This matter becomes more serious due to the involvement of ISI. The planning was going on through handlers from Pakistan.

Overall, Delhi Police averted a major danger by taking timely action. But the investigation is still going on; let's see what comes next.