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NEW DELHI : Delhi Police has busted two Pakistan-backed modules linked to gangster Shahzad Bhatti plotting terror attacks in the capital with the arrest of six operatives, officials said on Monday.
The police have also seized petrol bombs, pistols and other incriminating material from the accused’s possession, allegedly stored to carry out attacks in Delhi, they said.
One of the modules had been tasked by Pakistan-based handlers to carry out a terror attack in Delhi using petrol bombs, while the second was allegedly engaged in receiving and trafficking weapons smuggled into India from across the border through drones, the police said.
According to the police, the first module was being operated by Pakistan-based handler Rana Hunain, an alleged associate of Bhatti.
“It was allegedly tasked with carrying out an attack on a vital installation or a police establishment in Delhi using petrol bombs,” an officer said.
Two accused — Danish alias Chand Miya (24), and Salman (20), both residents of Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh — were arrested from the Vijay Ghat area of Delhi before they could execute the plan.
Three petrol bombs, a stolen motorcycle, Rs 2,000 in cash and mobile phones containing alleged chats, photographs and videos exchanged with Pakistani handlers were recovered from them.
During interrogation, Danish allegedly disclosed that he had come in contact with Rana Hunain through social media in April this year and was assigned the task of conducting reconnaissance of potential targets, including vital installations and police establishments in Delhi.
The police said he had been promised Rs 20,000 after successfully carrying out the attack and was receiving operational instructions over the phone from his handler in Pakistan.
Salman, a friend of Danish, had accompanied him to Delhi and was assigned the role of recording videos of the proposed attack. He, too, had allegedly been promised Rs 20,000 upon completion of the operation, they said.
The second module, police said, was allegedly part of a cross-border arms trafficking network being operated by another Pakistan-based handler, Hassan Gujjar, who is also claimed to be associated with Bhatti.
“The network received consignments of sophisticated weapons smuggled into India through drones from across the international border. The proceeds from the sale of these weapons were allegedly intended to finance terror and criminal activities in the country,” the officer said.
Three members of the module — Tayyab (27) of Shaheen Bagh in Delhi, Jubair Khan (24) of Ghaziabad and Ali Fazal (26) of Meerut — were arrested from the Kalindi Kunj area with three pistols and five live cartridges, the police said.
The fourth accused in the module, Malkiat Singh (36), was later arrested in Punjab.
The police also seized two vehicles — a Hyundai Verna and a Ford EcoSport — allegedly used by the accused, besides mobile phones containing chats, photographs and videos purportedly linking them to Pakistani handlers.
They said Tayyab had established contact with Gujjar through social media and was entrusted with arranging the movement and sale of weapons smuggled into India.
The police claimed Tayyab instructed his associate, Jubair Khan, to travel to Amritsar and collect a consignment of pistols and ammunition from Malkiat Singh.
Jubair allegedly stayed overnight at Malkiat Singh’s residence before taking delivery of the weapons, which were later handed over to Ali Fazal for sale to prospective buyers in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
According to police, Ali Fazal is Tayyab’s brother-in-law and was tasked with disposing of the weapons in the illegal arms market.
Malkiat Singh allegedly acted as the receiver of drone-delivered arms consignments from across the border before supplying them to members of the network for onward distribution.
Preliminary investigation indicates both modules were operating independently under different Pakistan-based handlers but were ultimately linked to the Shahzad Bhatti network.
“We are examining the digital devices recovered from the accused to ascertain the extent of the network, identify additional associates and determine whether they were linked to other terror or organised crime activities,” the officer said.
The police are also probing financial transactions, communication records and social media accounts used by the accused to remain in contact with their handlers in Pakistan.
Further investigation is underway. (PTI)
