New Delhi: The Delhi Police Special Cell has arrested five individuals linked to a Pakistan-backed terror module and recovered materials used for making improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Officials said the arrests followed raids across multiple states and were part of an ongoing investigation into efforts to radicalise youths and disturb communal harmony in India.
Police said two suspects had been arrested earlier, while three more were taken into custody in the latest operation. Those arrested include two residents of Delhi and one each from Madhya Pradesh, Hyderabad in Telangana, and Ranchi in Jharkhand. Investigators revealed that the group maintained constant communication with operatives in Pakistan through encrypted channels and social media platforms, which were being used to recruit and radicalise youth.
According to police, a key figure in the network, identified as Ashraf Danish, was coordinating operations inside India while staying in touch with handlers across the border. The group also allegedly ran online groups and accounts aimed at spreading communal hatred.
#WATCH | Delhi Police Special Cell busted a Pan-India terror module and arrested five terrorists identified as Ashhar Danish, Sufiyan Abubakar Khan, Aaftab Ansari, Huzaifa Yaman and Kamran Qureshi
A large quantity of materials and precursors for making IED have been seized from… https://t.co/uAcHkQ8r58 pic.twitter.com/zoCOqCkCJK
— ANI (@ANI) September 11, 2025
“Ashhar Danish, a resident of Ranchi, was the central character. Along with him, two people were from Mumbai- Sufiyan Abubakar Khan and Aaftab Ansari. These two people were arrested from Delhi. One Huzaifa Yaman has been arrested from Nizamabad, Telangana and one Kamran Qureshi has been arrested from Rajgarh, Madhya Pradesh. A large quantity of materials and precursors for making IED have been seized from them,” Pramod Singh Kushwaha, Additional CP of the Special Cell, told ANI.
Kushwaha also added that their plan was two-fold. “First, they had to form a Khilafat-style group. They have their own team, which is called Lashkar, and after that, they had to do Jihad, Ghazwa-e-Hind type, on the basis of their distorted concept of understanding of Islam. Plus, some targeted killings were to be tasked to them. Eleven people were picked up, out of which five have been arrested. Investigation of the rest is still going on,” he said.
CEO of a company or terrorist? Revealing about Danish’s modus operandi, Kushwaha said: “Ashhar Danish’s handler is a Pak-backed handler. He was trying to give the impression from outside that he is running a professional company. So he used to code CEO. While in his inner group, his code was Ghazwa leader and as an NGO, he was trying to acquire land…They had an internal group, these are highly radicalised boys.”
What all have been seized? During the operation, the Special Cell recovered several items suspected to be intended for IED construction. These included hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, sulphur powder, copper sheets, ball bearings, strip wires, and electronic circuits. Officials also seized laptops, mobile phones, cash, as well as a country-made pistol and live ammunition from Danish.
Multi-state operation: Raids were carried out in four to five states, during which around eight suspects were questioned. Five of them have now been formally arrested as police continue to probe the extent of the module’s network and its possible plans.