Police said Lone was linked to a recently uncovered Lashkar module connected to the Metro poster case. He is believed to have played a key role in coordinating the group’s activities.
Delhi Police’s Special Cell today arrested Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Shabbir Ahmad Lone, a wanted terrorist linked to the recently busted “Metro Poster” module. Officials said Lone was picked up from the Ghazipur area following a targeted operation by the Special Cell’s New Delhi Range.
Addressing a press briefing, Additional CP Pramod Singh Kushwaha said Lone is a “highly trained and hardcore terrorist” who had built an operational network using Bangladesh as a base and Kolkata as a launchpad for activities inside India.
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Police said the arrest was carried out by a Special Cell team led by newly appointed DCP Praveen Tripathi. The team, including Inspector Sunil and Inspector Dheeraj Mehlawat, apprehended Lone late at night in east Delhi’s Ghazipur area.
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Officials said Lone had recently entered India to identify new recruits and scout locations for future operations.
According to police, Lone was the handler of a terror module that was recently busted across multiple states. Last month, eight people were arrested in connection with the case, including seven Bangladeshi nationals and one Indian.
Investigators identified Umar Farooq and Rabiyul Islam as key operatives in the module. In a follow-up crackdown, six more Bangladeshi nationals linked to the same network were arrested in Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu.
#WATCH | Delhi: On the arrest of Shabir Ahmed Lone, LeT terrorist, handler of the recently busted LeT module in Metro Poster Case by a team of Special Cell/NDR, Special Cell Pramod Singh Kushwaha says, “Under the leadership of Mr. Praveen Tripathi, the newly appointed DCP of the… https://t.co/uib3ZK6j84 pic.twitter.com/f2Siey9Pcy
— ANI (@ANI) March 30, 2026
Police said Lone had fled to Bangladesh after earlier arrests in India and began rebuilding a network from there. Using Bangladesh as a base, he allegedly set up a “launching pad” in Kolkata to coordinate operations.
While in Bangladesh, he came in contact with new handlers using the code names Abu Huzaifa and Sumama Babar, who are believed to be affiliated with LeT and linked to Pakistan’s ISI.
Metro poster case and reconnaissance missions
Investigators said the module carried out a “test run” by putting up posters at several locations in Kolkata and Delhi to assess their operational capabilities.
The group also conducted reconnaissance at sensitive sites across the country, including temples and crowded public places. Police said videos of these locations were recorded and sent to handlers in Pakistan.
During the arrest, police recovered multiple foreign currencies from Lone, including 2,300 units of Bangladeshi Taka, 1,400 units of Nepalese currency, 5,000 units of Pakistani currency, and 3,000 units of Indian cash. A Nepalese SIM card was also seized from his possession.
Police records show that Lone was earlier arrested by the Special Cell in 2007, when an AK-47 rifle and a hand grenade were recovered from him. He was convicted in that case.
He was arrested again in 2015 in Srinagar’s Parimpora area with weapons. Officials said he had come to carry out targeted killings.
After his release, Lone is believed to have escaped to Bangladesh, where he resumed terror activities and rebuilt his network.
Officials said the investigation is ongoing, with agencies now working to identify more operatives and uncover the full extent of the network linked to Lone.
The case, which began with suspicious posters in metro areas, has now revealed a wider cross-border terror module with links spanning Bangladesh, Pakistan, and multiple Indian cities.
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