How did the Delhi Police bust the Pakistan-backed ISI-underworld terror module which was allegedly planning attacks on vital installations, security establishments and police personnel in Delhi, Mumbai
and three other cities? The first breakthrough was the arrest of a sharpshooter, Vijay ‘Don’, in Pune. The Delhi Police on Saturday arrested eight suspected operatives, including a Nepali national, and detained one. The module was in the advanced stages of planning attacks in Delhi and Mumbai, with vital installations, security personnel in Delhi and religious sites as their targets. Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) was preparing to execute attacks by leveraging the underworld network, said police.
The breakthrough
The first breakthrough was when notorious sharpshooter Vijay ‘Don’ was arrested from Pune. Based on the information provided by him, another accused was apprehended in Sahibganj, Jharkhand. Interrogation revealed that the duo was in direct contact with Shahzad Bhatti, who is based in Pakistan.
The consignment of weapons was smuggled into India via drones, in a clear indicationthat the Pakistani intelligence agency, the ISI, and the ‘D-Company’ had completed all preparations.
The module
According to police, the module had four main handlers — Munna Jhingada, Dilawar Khan, Shahzad Bhatti, Aamir Jatt. They lived in a rented room in Chhatarpur, Delhi.
Anil Shukla, Special Cell CP, said, “This was a joint operation by the special cell and intelligence agencies. The investigation revealed that the grenades and weapons were sent to India via drone dropping. On the 17th, a crime boss known as ‘Vijay Shooter’ was picked up from Pune, followed by the apprehension of Nitish. Following the investigation, Tauqeer Sheikh and Arbaz Khan were arrested in Mumbai. They, too, were connected to Vijay’s handler. Information subsequently surfaced regarding the other accused Muzaffa and Yawar Khan. Both individuals are linked to the ISI network operated by Shahzad Bhatti. The special cell is acting against certain accused individuals under the UAPA, as explosives were recovered from their possession. They were in contact with four handlers.”
These handlers have already established and mobilised a team within Delhi. Three individuals from Punjab were taken into custody in Delhi and weapons were also recovered from their possession.
The arrested accused, arms and ammunition
Munna, a 66-year-old Nepali national, had shot at Prakash Nayak in Mumbai and acting on the instructions of Shakeel, had orchestrated an attack on Chhota Rajan. Jhingada had allegedly carried out an attack on gangster Chhota Rajan in Bangkok in 2000 at Dawood Ibrahim’s behest and later spent 17 years in a Thailand prison. He had fled to Pakistan under the alias ‘Salim’ and was operating from there.
Government offices, parks, and crowded areas were among the intended targets. Four live grenades were recovered, which were subsequently defused by an NSG team. Twenty-five cartridges were also found, which are reported to be of Pakistani origin. Authorities are currently on the lookout for several Nepali nationals.
Reconnaissance
This module was active across both Delhi and Mumbai. In Mumbai, they conducted reconnaissance by recording videos of Dadar Railway Station, as well as various bridges and parks. In Delhi, they filmed videos of several buildings.
Munna Jhingada is currently in Karachi, Pakistan. A Glock pistol has also been recovered.
According to the police, this operation holds immense significance from the perspective of national security. Investigating agencies are now conducting a thorough probe into the domestic and international contacts, funding networks, and underworld connections of the arrested accused.
With PTI inputs
