Delhi Police busts 'Khilafat' terror module linked to Pakistan, 5 held in multi-state raids

New Delhi, Sep 11 (PTI) The Special Cell of the Delhi Police has busted a Pakistan-handled pan-India terror module plotting to establish "Khilafat" in India by violent means with the arrest of five radicalised men from different states and the seizure of arms, ammunition and bomb-making chemicals in coordinated raids across Delhi, Jharkhand, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh, officials said on Thursday.

In what investigators described as a major counter-terror breakthrough ahead of the upcoming festive season, the arrests have dismantled a pan-India network that was working to create an underground base for jihadist training.

All the accused, led by a 23-year-old postgraduate from Jharkhand, were allegedly planning to acquire land to establish secret training facilities with the ultimate objective of waging "Gazwa-e-Hind" -- a radical Islamist concept envisioning the conquest of India through "jihad".

"The terror operatives were in touch with a Pakistan-based handler who guided them through encrypted social media platforms, radicalising them with extremist content and instructing them to collect weapons, chemicals and ammunition components.

"The group's aim was not just to prepare improvised explosive devices (IEDs) but also to create a self-sustaining ecosystem for manufacturing arms and spreading radical propaganda," Additional Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Pramod Kushwah told a press conference here.

He said the Special Cell conducted the operation in close coordination with the police forces and anti-terrorism squads of Jharkhand, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

"We have arrested Ashhar Danish alias CEO (23), a resident of Jharkhand's Bokaro and the mastermind of the module, Aaftab Nasir Qureshi (25), a resident of Kalyan in Mumbai, Sufiyan Abubakar Khan (20), a resident of Mumbra in Maharashtra, Mohammed Huzaif Yaman (20), a resident of Narsapur in Telangana and Kamran Qureshi alias Samar Khan (26), a resident of Rajgarh in Madhya Pradesh," Kushwah said.

Police said the coordinated action prevented the expansion of the module and averted possible terror strikes at a time when crowded markets, religious gatherings and public celebrations are expected in the coming weeks.

The group was planning to acquire land for secret terror training to establish a Caliphate with the ultimate objective of Gazwa-e-Hind, police said in a statement.

Danish was arrested from Ranchi. From his rented room, IED-making components and chemical substances were seized. He admitted that he had procured arms, ammunition and explosives in pursuance of a criminal conspiracy to establish a Caliphate through violent means, the statement said.

He further revealed that he was receiving instructions from a Pakistan-based handler and was in constant communication with other module members, police said.

"This plan, if successful, could have provided the group with a physical hub to expand their activities beyond online radicalisation," a source in the Special Cell said.

Sharing details about the arrest, Kushwah said the first breakthrough came on September 9, when a trap was laid near the Theme Park adjoining the Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station in Delhi and two suspects -- Aaftab Qureshi and Sufiyan Khan -- were intercepted while allegedly carrying two semi-automatic pistols (.32-bore) and 15 live cartridges. They were immediately arrested.

"Subsequent raids on September 10 in Ranchi, Thane, Bengaluru, Nizamabad and Rajgarh led to the arrests of the other accused. The most significant seizure was from mastermind Ashhar Danish's rented room in Ranchi, where police found chemicals, ammunition components and equipment for fabricating IEDs.

"Danish reportedly admitted to procuring arms, ammunition and explosives as part of a conspiracy to establish a Caliphate through violent means," the officer said.

Another accused, Mohammed Huzaif Yaman, a pharmacy student, was arrested from Nizamabad. He confessed to conducting experiments related to arms and ammunition under Danish's guidance. Kamran Qureshi, arrested from Rajgarh, revealed that he came into contact with Danish through social media groups, where speeches of clerics such as Tariq Masood, Tariq Jameel, Zakir Naik and Israr Ahmed were circulated to spread extremist propaganda.

Police said they have seized two semi-automatic pistols (.32-bore) and 15 live cartridges, a country-made firearm (.315-bore) and one live cartridge, one air gun (.22-bore), copper sheets, steel hollow pipes, ball bearings, all used in IED fabrication, chemical substances including sulphuric acid, nitric acid, sodium bicarbonate and sulphur powder, laboratory equipment such as weighing machines, beaker sets, safety gloves, respiratory masks and pH value checker, four knives, Rs 10,500 in cash, laptops, mobile phones and electronic circuits with diodes and motherboards.

They described the haul as significant, pointing out that the combination of chemicals, components and technical equipment indicated that the group had already advanced beyond mere planning to actual preparation of explosives.

Sharing profiles, police said born in Bokaro, Danish came from a middle-class family. His father is a practising lawyer and mother a homemaker.

A postgraduate in English from the Silli College in Ranchi, Danish reportedly became radicalised in 2024 after listening to online lectures of Israr Ahmad, a controversial cleric known for advocating Khilafat.

"To disguise his activities from surveillance, Danish created multiple social media profiles portraying himself as a company CEO, professor or NGO operator. He formed social media groups with up to 40 members where discussions revolved around the idea of establishing a Caliphate in India," Kushwah said.

The investigators said Danish personally procured sulphur for making gunpowder and copper plates for manufacturing cartridges. In August, he acquired a bullet and a country-made pistol to study as prototypes for weapons production.

Danish was also the central link connecting the others. He met Aaftab Qureshi and Izhar-Ul-Haq through social media, recruited Yaman via other social media platforms and added several members to radical online groups.

Aaftab Qureshi (25) studied up to Class 10 and assisted at his father's meat shop.

Active on social media, he started consuming radical content in 2020. His association with Danish was primarily online.

Sufiyan Abubakar Khan, 20, worked as a welder in Mumbra, police said. A school dropout after Class 5, he was introduced to extremist ideas by Aaftab Qureshi, who shared radical videos with him. On September 8, he accompanied Aaftab to Delhi to collect arms from a Mewat-based supplier.

Yaman, 20, was a third-year pharmacy student in Telangana, police added. Danish had persuaded him to believe that Muslims were facing "atrocities" in India and that an armed jihad was the solution, police said. He was tasked with learning the process of manufacturing firearms.

Kamran Qureshi alias Samar, 26, worked as a laboratory assistant and typist for advocates. He was introduced to radical social media groups, where he absorbed extremist ideology. He not only contributed funds but was also instructed to recruit more members and help acquire land for terror training.

The officer said the Special Cell was monitoring radicalised youngsters active on social media for months. Danish's activities came under suspicion as he was seen attempting to procure arms and chemicals from Delhi-NCR markets, agro-chemical shops and even online platforms. Discreet physical surveillance was mounted, with advance teams deployed across states.

Kushwah also said the Pakistan-based handler maintained contact with Danish and other module members through encrypted channels, encouraging them to prepare for an armed jihad and giving step-by-step guidance on weapon and IED fabrication.

Further interrogation of the arrested men is underway to trace their funding sources, identify other associates and determine the extent of the Pakistan-based handler's network in India, police added.

The investigators are also probing whether the group had already selected land for training camps and if more people were on the verge of joining it. PTI BM BUN RC