New Delhi: The Delhi Police recently dismantled a Bangladesh-based terror outfit allegedly run by Shabir Ahmed Lone, who an agent investigator said had direct links with senior officials. Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) Commander.Lone is also in touch with 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed and operations chief Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi.Delhi police said on Monday it had dismantled a terror cell linked to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba masterminds operating in Bangladesh, arresting eight suspects and averting what officials described as a “major untoward incident”.
Who is Shabbir Ahmed Lone?
Investigators say Roan is a long-time Lashkar-e-Taiba associate who has been on the radar of security agencies for nearly two decades. He is a resident of Ganderbal, Kashmir and currently lives in Bangladesh.In 2007, he was arrested with an AK-47 rifle and grenades and was allegedly involved in a Fidayeen attack plan against a senior political leader.He spent about a decade in prison on terrorism charges before being released on bail in 2019. After his release, he fled to Bangladesh, where he reconnected with Lashkar-e-Taiba leadership and rebuilt his network, officials said.“Preliminary investigation revealed that he re-established contact with Lashkar-e-Taiba leadership and re-established his organization to carry out terror activities,” Pramod Kumar Kushwaha, deputy captain of the Special Cell, said.Delhi Police sources said Lone operated India-based modules on behalf of Lashkar-e-Taiba and was in direct contact with its top commander. Investigators believe his alleged contacts with Hafez Saeed placed him at the upper echelons of the group’s external operations network.According to investigators, Lone coordinated activity from Bangladesh through encrypted messaging platforms and intermediaries. His alleged mission was to recruit and radicalize undocumented Bangladeshi immigrants in India, create false identification documents such as Aadhaar cards, and establish a logistical base, including renting a safe house near Kolkata.Police also linked the network to anti-India posters that appeared in Delhi and Kolkata, which were allegedly printed in Kolkata after Lone sent PDF files from Bangladesh.
Arrests and suspected attack plans
The eight arrested suspects were nabbed from Tamil Nadu and West Bengal and were allegedly working in the garment industry while hiding their identities with forged documents.Security agencies are investigating whether the group planned to attack a temple or other crowded locations in Delhi. The alert had earlier warned of possible improvised explosive device (IED) attacks near the Red Fort and other high-traffic areas.Authorities are also investigating whether the network had any link to the November 2025 car bombing near the Red Fort that killed 12 people. Lone, who is believed to be in Bangladesh, remains a key figure in Lashkar-e-Taiba’s cross-border recruitment and operations network targeting India.
