Delhi Terror Plot Busted: LeT Operative Shabir Lone Arrested

Shabir Ahmed Lone was apprehended by the Delhi Police Special Cell on March 29, 2026, following a two-month manhunt. He had recently re-entered India via the Nepal border after fleeing to Bangladesh in 2019.

Interrogations revealed that Lone’s module conducted reconnaissance on high-footfall religious sites, specifically naming the Kalkaji Temple and Gauri Shankar Temple in Delhi, as well as key commercial hubs.

Lone was identified as the handler for a module arrested in February 2026 for pasting pro-Pakistan and "Free Kashmir" posters at Delhi Metro stations, which police describe as a "dry run" to test operational capabilities.

Operating from a base in Dhaka, Lone focused on recruiting and radicalizing illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, providing them with forged Indian documents (including Aadhaar cards) to help them blend in and evade security.

Lone is a "hardcore" operative who underwent advanced training in Muzaffarabad (PoK). He was previously arrested in 2007 with AK-47s and has established links to LeT founders Hafiz Saeed and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi.