Eight people, including a Bangladeshi national, have been arrested on charges of planning a massive terror plot in Tamil Nadu with the support of Pakistan’s spy agency ISI and Bangladesh-based terror organisations, Delhi Police said on Sunday.
Of the eight detainees, six – Mizanur Rahman, Mohammad Shabat, Omar, Mohammad Litan, Mohammad Shahid and Mohammad Ujjal – were arrested in Tamil Nadu and transferred to Delhi. Police said several mobile phones and SIM cards were seized from them.
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Meanwhile, two more people were arrested in West Bengal, taking the total number to eight. The accused, suspected of helping terrorists, surveyed several cities, Delhi Police told news agency ANI.
A major terrorist plot was thwarted and 8 suspects were arrested
In Tamil Nadu, police arrested two suspects from Uthukuli, three from Palalladam and one from Thirumuruganpondi district. They were reportedly working in the garment sector while concealing their real identities through fake Aadhaar cards.
Police sources told news agency PTI that the arrests were made following specific intelligence information about a group believed to be preparing for subversive activities in different parts of the country.
During the searches, officers confiscated dozens of mobile phones and their SIM cards. It is now being examined to determine the size of the network and whether there are any foreign connections.
Preliminary findings indicate that the group was in contact with agents linked to the Pakistani intelligence agency and some groups based in Bangladesh. Central agencies are assisting in the investigation, the report added.
Accused put up ‘Free Kashmir’ posters in Delhi: Cops
The police also said that the accused canvassed several cities and put up ‘Free Kashmir’ and other incriminating posters at a metro station during the Artificial Intelligence Summit in New Delhi, and then returned to Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, police told ANI.
According to the police, all the accused were in contact through social media. Out of the 8, a group of four traveled to Delhi to put up the alleged posters.
Delhi is on high alert
New Delhi was on Saturday put on high alert following specific intelligence information about possible terror attacks planned by the banned Pakistan-based group Lashkar-e-Taiba in the national capital, officials said.
The terrorist group is suspected of trying to “revenge” the February 6 suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, news agencies quoted sources. The explosion killed at least 31 people.
Pakistan had earlier alleged foreign involvement in the Islamabad blast, an allegation strongly denied by India.
In a statement earlier this month, India said: “It is unfortunate that instead of seriously addressing the problems plaguing its social fabric, Pakistan must choose to deceive itself by blaming others for its internal ills. India rejects all such allegations, which are as baseless as they are meaningless.”
With input from agencies
