LeT handler Shabir Ahmed Lone arrested in Delhi; foreign currency, SIM card seized

The Special Cell of Delhi Police has arrested a suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) handler, Shabir Ahmed Lone, from the Ghazipur area, officials said on 30 March.

Police described Lone as a “hardcore and highly trained terrorist” and alleged that he had links with handlers operating on behalf of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Lone, also known by aliases Raja and Kashmiri, is a resident of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir and was allegedly acting as a handler of a module involved in pasting anti-national posters in Delhi and Kolkata, according to a senior police officer.

Arrest and recoveries

A team of the Special Cell arrested Lone on the night of 29 March in Ghazipur. He was wanted in connection with a LeT module uncovered on 22 February in a case involving pro-Pakistan posters in metro areas, police said.

During the arrest, police recovered foreign currencies and other material from his possession, including Bangladeshi Taka, Nepalese currency, Pakistani currency and Indian currency. A Nepalese SIM card was also seized.

Officials said the recoveries point to possible cross-border communication and financial links, which are now under investigation.

Alleged role and network

Police alleged that the module was being run at the behest of ISI, with Lone acting as a conduit between handlers based abroad and operatives in India.

According to investigators, Lone had previously been arrested in 2007, when an AK-47 rifle and a hand grenade were recovered from him, and again in 2015 in Srinagar.

He had allegedly undergone training at LeT camps in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, including “Daura-e-Aam” (basic training) and “Daura-e-Khaas” (advanced training), police said.

Following his release in earlier cases, Lone allegedly fled to Bangladesh, where he rebuilt a network and established links with handlers identified by code names Abu Huzaifa and Sumama Babar, officials said.

Operations and reconnaissance

Police said Lone used Bangladesh as a base to coordinate infiltration and direct activities in India, including activating sleeper cells and recruiting operatives.

Investigations indicated that he had set up an operational base in Kolkata, from where the module carried out a “test run” by pasting pro-terror posters in Delhi and Kolkata to assess response mechanisms.

Operatives were also allegedly tasked with conducting reconnaissance of sensitive locations, including temples and crowded public places, with videos sent to handlers abroad, police said.

Officials further alleged that Lone had built a structured network involving foreign nationals, particularly from Bangladesh, and was attempting to expand it by recruiting new members and identifying potential targets.

Earlier crackdown and ongoing probe

In a related development, the Special Cell had on 22 February busted a pan-India LeT module and arrested eight operatives, including seven Bangladeshi nationals, following raids in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.

Investigators had then identified Lone as the handler directing the module’s activities from Bangladesh.

Police said the module aimed to revive terror operations in India by exploiting illegal immigration networks and forged identity documents, while arranging logistics such as safe houses and weapons.

Officials said Lone is currently being interrogated to identify associates, financial channels, including possible hawala links, and potential targets.

“The arrest marks a significant breakthrough in the ongoing investigation,” a police officer said, adding that further investigation is underway.