New Delhi, 30 March (H.S.):

Security agencies have scored a major breakthrough in the Delhi Metro poster case, with the Delhi Police Special Cell arresting the alleged handler of a proscribed Lashkar‑e‑Taiba (LeT) module linked to the anti‑India publicity drive in the national capital. The accused, Shabir Ahmed Lone, described by officials as the key operator of the network, was apprehended on Monday, March 30, in a joint operation along the Delhi border.

Investigation sources told reporters that Shabir Ahmed Lone, a Kashmir‑origin LeT operative, was the central figure coordinating the terror module that pasted provocative and anti‑national posters at multiple Delhi Metro stations and other crowded locations. The module, busted earlier this February, is said to have been working under Lone’s direction from abroad, using local sleeper cells to execute the campaign and prepare for more serious attacks.

Officials said Lone, described as a sleeper‑cell commander, was giving instructions to the arrested gang members, arranging forged documents for infiltrators and coordinating reconnaissance of crowded public places, including metro stations and religious sites. The posters, which glorified banned militant groups and carried separatist slogans, were meant to spread unrest and influence public sentiment ahead of and after the AI Summit‑linked security‑sensitive period.

Police say Shabir Ahmed Lone is not a first‑time offender, and had earlier served about a decade in jail on terror‑related charges, including a case linked to a planned suicide attack targeting a senior political figure in Delhi. After being released on bail around 2019, he reportedly fled to Bangladesh, where he remained in close contact with top LeT leaders, including Hafeez Saeed and Zaki‑ur‑Rehman Lakhvi, both indicted in the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Investigators believe Lone was tasked with recruiting and radicalising illegal Bangladeshi migrants in India, using a network of touts to arrange fake Aadhaar and other identity documents for the recruits. The Delhi‑based module allegedly followed his directions to paste posters and conduct location‑scouting for possible future attacks, though no major strike has yet materialised.

Authorities now say Lone’s arrest may yield critical leads into the broader cross‑border terror network, including money channels, communication links and the identities of other operatives spread across multiple states. The Special Cell has begun intensive questioning of the accused, while also re‑verifying the statements of the eight earlier‑arrested suspects, including several Bangladeshi nationals, who admitted copying instructions from Lone via encrypted channels.

The case has already prompted a multi‑state crackdown, with raids and arrests in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and other regions, as part of a probe into an alleged Pakistan‑based module directed by Lashkar‑e‑Taiba operatives. With Lone in custody, security agencies hope to disrupt the module’s operational capability and prevent the sleeper cells from shifting from propaganda to actual violence.

By arresting the alleged handler of the Metro‑poster terror network on March 30, Delhi Police has signalled a hardening of its counter‑terrorism strategy in the capital, aiming to dismantle recruitment, financing and communication channels even before any major attack is attempted.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar