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Delhi Police arrest 6 members of ‘Pakistan-ISI terror module’, foil ‘attacks during festivals’

The men, police claimed, were allegedly trained in Pakistan and had been tasked with execution of terror attacks & targeted killings in Delhi, UP and Maharashtra during the festival season.

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New Delhi: Delhi Police Special Cell Tuesday arrested six people, allegedly part of a “Pakistan-orchestrated terror module”, who, the police claimed, had been tasked with the execution of terror attacks and targeted killings in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra during the upcoming festival season.

The police alleged that the six — Jaan Mohammad Shaikh, Osama, Moolchand, Zeeshan, Mohammad Abu Bakar, and Mohammad Amir Javed — were part of a nexus between Pakistan, the ISI, and the underworld and had been trained for the attacks in Pakistan.

The police also claimed that an underworld operative Sameer, a close contact of Anees Ibrahim (brother of Dawood Ibrahim), had been tasked by a Pakistan-based person connected with underworld operatives hiding in that country, to ensure the smooth delivery of IEDs, sophisticated weapons, and grenades to different locations and people in India.

“Osama and Zeeshan, who are Pakistan-trained terror operatives working under the instructions of the Pak-ISI, were tasked to conduct the recce of different suitable locations in Delhi and UP for placing the IEDs,” DCP Pramod Singh Kushwah said.


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Input received from Central Agency

According to the police, the Special Cell had received an input from a central agency last month that a Pakistan-abetted and -sponsored group of terrorists was planning to execute serial IED blasts in India.

For this, the police claimed, the group had got multiple IEDs arranged from sources across the border and were at an advanced stage of preparation for a terror attack.

“On 14 September on the basis of intelligence gathered through human, as well as technical nodes, simultaneous raids were conducted in different states,” Kushwah said.

According to the police, to begin with, alleged underworld operative Jaan Mohammad Shaikh was apprehended from near Kota, Rajasthan, while he was on his way to Delhi. Osama was apprehended from Delhi’s Okhla, Abu Bakar was apprehended from Delhi’s Sarai Kale Khan, Zeeshan was apprehended from Allahabad, Mohammad Amir Javed was apprehended from Lucknow, and Moolchand from Rae Bareilly.

The Delhi Police operation in UP was done in close and successful coordination with officers of UP ATS, police said.


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Sophisticated RDX, recce for targets

According to the police, the module had received “sophisticated RDX-based IEDs, grenades, pistols and cartridges from a sleeper cell operative and these were sent to UP for safe concealment”.

“Underworld operative Jan Mohd Sheikh, along with Moolchand, was tasked by Pak-based Anees Ibrahim to receive the same in Delhi. The same was to be handed over to other terror operatives in Delhi & Mumbai and other parts of the country,” Kushwah claimed.

“Subsequently, further deliveries of similar consignments of IEDs were to be done through the same channel,” he added.

According to Kushwah, the underworld component “acting at the behest of Pak-ISI was entrusted with two tasks”— transportation of arms and explosives and terror funding through Hawala channels.

“The Pak-ISI trained terror component was tasked with recce of targets and planting of the IEDs,” Kushwah claimed.


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‘Training imparted by Pak-ISI’

According to the police, the six accused tasked to carry out attacks were trained in Pakistan.

“Osama left for Muscat on 22 April this year by Salaam Air flight from Lucknow. There he met Zeeshan who had also come from India to join training in Pakistan. They were then joined by 15-16 Bangla-speaking people. They were then divided into sub-groups and Zeeshan and Osama were placed in one group,” Kushwah claimed.

“Over the next few days, after several short sea journeys, changing boats several times, they were taken to a town called Jioni, which is near Gwadar port in Pakistan. There they were received by one Pakistani, who took them to a farmhouse in Thatta, Pakistan,” Kushwah alleged.

At the farmhouse, Kushwah claimed, there were three Pakistani nationals and two of them, identified as Jabbar and Hamza, imparted training to them.

“Both of them were from the Pakistan Army as they wore Military uniforms,” Kushwah alleged.

“They were imparted training of making bombs and IEDs and committing arson with the help of items of daily use. They were also trained in handling and use of small firearms and AK-47s,” the officer alleged.

According to the police, the training lasted for almost 15 days and thereafter, they were taken back to Muscat via the same route.

It is not yet clear, how the police have gathered these cetails — whether from interrogation of the accused or by some means of investigation — since they are not divulging any details at this point.

“Investigation is on and further links to identify other accused, are being established,” Kushwah said.

(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)


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