NEW DELHI, May 30:The Delhi Police said on Saturday that they busted a Pakistan-backed ISI-underworld terror module and arrested eight suspected operatives, including a Nepali national, allegedly planning attacks on vital installations, security establishments and police personnel in Delhi and other cities.
The arrests were made in a coordinated multi-state operation that exposed a conspiracy allegedly orchestrated by Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), underworld operatives and gangster-turned-handler Shahzad Bhatti, with plans to target locations in Delhi, Mumbai, Punjab and Chandigarh, they said.
In Mumbai, the targets were railway stations, parks and bridges, police said.
Police at a press conference that four Pakistan-made hand grenades, two Glock pistols, 24 live cartridges, a stolen motorcycle and a stolen scooter were recovered from the accused.The accused are Vijay alias Shooter (23) from Uttar Pradesh, Nitish Paswan (23) from Jharkhand, Taoqeer Rizwan Ahmad Shaikh (27) and Sajid Mehboob Shaikh alias Arbaz Khan (27) from Maharashtra, Harvinder Singh (28), Gagandeep Singh (28) and Manjeet Singh (23) from Punjab, and Nepali national Anag Kami Lama (66).The operation was launched following inputs that operatives linked to Pakistan-based handlers and underworld networks were planning attacks on strategic targets and security personnel in several cities.
Police first arrested Vijay alias Shooter from Pune on May 14, and his associate Nitish Paswan from Jhartkhand.Vijay was allegedly in contact with members of Bhatti’s network operating from Pakistan and Dubai and was tasked with recruiting youths to carry out terror-related activities across Delhi-NCR and several northern states. Police said these youths were promised lakhs of rupees after executing the terror attacks.
Interrogation of the two accused and technical analysis subsequently led investigators to Mumbai, where Taoqeer and Sajid were arrested on May 27. (PTI)
