The crackdown follows an intensive drive launched by the Special Cell earlier this year against terror modules operating in India.
| Photo Credit: PTI
“The Delhi police has busted an inter-State terror module with alleged links to Pakistan and arrested five suspected operatives,” an official said on Thursday (September 11, 2025.)
The crackdown follows an intensive drive launched by the Special Cell earlier this year against terror modules operating in India. Additional Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Pramod Kushwaha said the group was radicalised online by a Pakistan-based handler and was allegedly planning to acquire land and wage jihad in India. “The operatives were also being pushed to carry out violent activities,” he added.
The arrested were identified as Ashar Danish alias Ashrar Qureshi (23), an English honours graduate from Ranchi; Aftab Qureshi and Sufiyan Abubakar, both from Mumbai; Mohammad Huzaifa from Telangana; and Kamran Qureshi from Madhya Pradesh.
According to Mr. Kushwaha, Danish headed the module. “He coordinated with members and executed tasks on behalf of the handler, who operated under code names such as ‘CEO’, ‘Gazba’, and ‘Professor’,” he said. The handler allegedly provided weapon designs, ideological training, and instructions for fabricating Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) through encrypted social media channels.
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The operation began with the arrest of Aftab and Sufiyan near Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station on September 9. They had allegedly come to procure weapons from a Mewat-based contact and were attempting to leave Delhi when apprehended. “Our teams had been tracking their activities for six months. They were also planning to recruit more youth,” Mr. Kushwaha said.
Based on their disclosures, police teams led by Deputy Commissioner of Police Amit Kaushik raided multiple locations in Ranchi, Rajgarh (Madhya Pradesh), and Telangana, leading to the arrest of three more suspects.
Searches yielded significant recoveries, including sulphur powder, sodium bicarbonate, ball bearings, gas masks, electrical wires, fuse points, cartridges, and other IED components. Several electronic devices have also been seized for analysis by central agencies.
“We detained 11 people during the operation; five have been arrested and remanded in police custody for further interrogation,” Mr. Kushwaha said.
Investigators believe the group was in the process of raising funds to buy land for the proposed “Khilafat zone”, a model previously attempted in Maharashtra by Saquib Nachan. Preliminary findings suggest this is a new network, with no links to earlier busted outfits. “The Pakistan-based handler relied exclusively on social media platforms for communication and recruitment,” officials said.
Police added that the arrests had averted a potential major terror strike in the country, and efforts are on to trace the wider network, funding channels, and possible targets
Published – September 12, 2025 11:01 am IST
