Kolkata Terror Plot Busted: Operative Told to Recruit, Procure Arms

Security agencies bust a terror plot involving operative Umar Faruk, instructed by handler Shabir Ahmad Lone to set up a terror base in Kolkata, recruit Bangladeshi nationals, and procure local weapons for attacks across India.

Security agencies have busted a terror plot and uncovered details by an operative identified as Umar Faruk who was allegedly looking establish a terror base in Kolkata, following instructions from a handler named Shabir Ahmad Lone to allegedly recruit Bangladeshi nationals and procure weapons locally for attacks across India. According to security agencies, in December 2025, Umar was instructed to conduct reconnaissance (recce) of key locations across India, record and send video footage of sensitive establishments.

The Kolkata Plot

"For this, more Bangladeshi nationals were to be recruited for operational support. Umar was directed to rent a hideout in Kolkata to serve as a terror base and share accommodation details with the handler," the statement by officials read. Shabir Ahmad Lone explicitly directed Umar to arrange weapons locally in India after which Umar began contacting local sources to procure arms. The plan was to create a self-sustained module capable of carrying out attacks without immediate cross-border movement of weapons. This method suggests an attempt to avoid detection at borders and rely on internal procurement networks.

Handler's ISI-backed History

Officials said Shabir Ahmad Lone Native of Kangan, Srinagar, J-K Previously arrested by Delhi Police Special Cell in 2007 with a large cache of arms including AK-47 rifles and grenades Allegedly linked in the past to Hafiz Saeed and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi trained at LeT camps in Muzaffarabad backed by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Delhi Terror Module Busted

Earlier on Sunday, the Delhi Police's Special Cell busted a terror module being handled by a Lashkar handler based in Bangladesh, preventing a major untoward incident. Additional CP, Special Cell, Pramod Kumar Kushwaha, revealed that the plot involved pasting anti-national posters at metro stations in Delhi, including Kashmiri Gate, echoing terrorist slogans. The CISF alerted the Metro unit of the Delhi Police, leading to the arrest of two suspects, Umar Farooq and Robil Ul Islam, in Kolkata.

In a press conference, Kushwaha said, "A team from the Special Cell busted a module that was being handled by a Lashkar handler based in Bangladesh. A major untoward incident has been prevented. On February 7th, anti-national posters were pasted on pillars at the Kashmiri Gate Metro station and some nearby metro stations in Delhi. The CISF noticed this and brought it to the attention of the Metro unit of the Delhi Police. The Special Cell team went to Kolkata."

The suspects revealed that they were directed by Shabbir Ahmed Lone, a Kashmiri terrorist based in Bangladesh, who has a history of terrorist activities. Lone was arrested in 2007 with an AK-47 and grenades, and had escaped to Bangladesh after his release from jail in 2019. (ANI)

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