New Delhi: Delhi Police has claimed to have busted a module of terrorists and gangsters associated with Dawood Ibrahim and sponsored by Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI.
At least 9 suspects have been arrested from various parts of the country during an operation conducted by the Delhi Police Special Cell, an anti-terrorist unit, along with intelligence agencies.
The module was being operated by four Pakistan-based handlers — Munna Jagda, Yawar Khan, Shahzad Bhatti and Aamir Jatt, who were allegedly planning attacks in Delhi, Mumbai and several other Indian cities, the police said.
The module had recruited operatives in India and arranged the supply of weapons from across the border, a police officer said.
Their targets:
According to investigators, the accused were making preparations for a terror strike in Delhi or Mumbai.
Security forces and strategic locations in the national capital were allegedly among the intended targets, the officer said.
The accused planned to carry out grenade attacks or shooting at security forces like the recent incidents in Punjab, said Joint Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Anil Shukla.
Police claimed to have recovered reconnaissance videos of multiple sensitive locations in Delhi and Mumbai from the accused.
The footage reportedly included key infrastructure and crowded public locations such as Mumbai’s Dadar railway station and several major bridges.
The Operation:
The Special Cell launched the operation after receiving specific intelligence inputs about the module, the officer said.
Acting on the information, police arrested notorious shooter Vijay Don from Pune.
Based on his disclosures, another suspect was apprehended from Sahibganj in Jharkhand.
During interrogation, investigators found that both were allegedly in direct contact with Pakistan-based handler Shahzad Bhatti.
Further investigations led to the arrest of Tauqeer and Arbaz Khan from Mumbai, police said, adding they were being handled through the network operated by Vijay Don.
As the probe widened, the names of other suspects, including Mujafa and Yawar Khan, also surfaced.
Three more members of the module, hailing from Punjab, were nabbed from Chhattarpur area of south Delhi yesterday, the police said.
Weapons recovered
The police claimed to have recovered four hand grenades, which were later safely defused by the National Security Guard (NSG).
The police also claimed to have seized two Glock-style pistols and 25 live cartridges allegedly manufactured by the Pakistan Ordnance Factory.
According to investigators, the weapons were smuggled into India using drones, raising concerns about cross-border terror networks and the alleged involvement of Pakistan-based criminal and intelligence-linked operatives.
The accused planned to throw these grenades and fire at security personnel, Shukla said.
Handlers in Pakistan
One of the key figures in the network is alleged to be Munna Jagda, whom investigators describe as a long-time underworld operative.
According to agency sources, Jagda was allegedly involved in the 2000 attack on underworld figure Chhota Rajan in Bangkok.
After serving a prison sentence in Thailand, he is believed to have shifted to Pakistan and is currently operating from Karachi.
Investigators further claim that Jagda sent a close associate, identified as Kami Lama, a Nepalese national, to India to provide financial and logistics support to the module.
The investigation is ongoing, and agencies are working to identify additional members and possible sleeper cells connected to the network.
