In a significant development in the crackdown on the ISIS network in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, police have arrested three terror suspects, all of whom are engineers by education and possess expertise in bomb-making, according to authorities.
HGS Dhaliwal, a senior officer in the Delhi Police Special Cell, disclosed that one of the arrested terror suspects, Mohammad Shahnawaz, had been on the most wanted list of the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The NIA had announced a cash reward of ₹3 lakh each for information leading to the apprehension of Shahnawaz and two other individuals who were allegedly involved in bomb blasts across the country.
The two associates arrested alongside Shahnawaz are Mohammed Rizwan Ashraf and Mohammed Arshad Warsi, as confirmed by Mr. Dhaliwal.
Mohammad Shahnawaz was apprehended in Delhi’s Jaitpur, while Rizwan and Ashraf were captured in Lucknow and Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, respectively.
During the raids, the police recovered a pistol, bomb-making materials, chemicals, and Jihadi literature originating from Pakistan at Shahnawaz’s hideout in Delhi. The arrested suspects had reportedly conducted reconnaissance missions in various parts of India and tested explosive devices.
The suspects maintained communication with their ISIS handler and provided regular reports on their activities. They had been instructed to procure all necessary materials locally to avoid exposing any external involvement in their operations, police sources stated.
Shahnawaz, originally from Hazaribagh in Jharkhand, held a mining engineering degree and possessed knowledge of engineering explosives. His wife had converted to Islam before their marriage, but she is currently evading arrest.
Mohammed Arshad Warsi, hailing from Jharkhand as well, had completed a BTech in Mechanical Engineering from Aligarh University and was pursuing a doctorate at Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi.
Mohammed Rizwan Ashraf held a BTech in computer science and was originally from Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh. He had also received clerical training.
Mr. Dhaliwal emphasized that the ongoing crackdown had exposed the pan-India ISIS module, revealing their intention to target prominent individuals and inflict maximum casualties. He added that the operation had also unveiled the financial trail behind these activities.
Sources By Agencies
