LeT Handler Shabir Ahmed Lone Arrested in Delhi Over Metro Poster Case

New Delhi, March 2026 : The Special Cell of Delhi Police on Monday arrested Shabir Ahmed Lone, an alleged operative of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and the suspected handler of a recently uncovered module linked to the Metro poster case, officials said.

Lone was apprehended late Sunday night from the Ghazipur area by a Special Cell team operating under the supervision of DCP Praveen Pathi. His arrest comes weeks after a complaint filed by the Central Industrial Security Force on February 8 regarding inflammatory posters found at the Supreme Court Metro station triggered a high-priority investigation. Similar posters carrying anti-India messages were also discovered at multiple locations, including Janpath, raising serious security concerns.

Following the complaint, a case was registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the DPDP Act. Investigators launched a detailed probe involving both field intelligence and technical surveillance to track those responsible.

Additional Commissioner of Police Pramod Singh Kushwaha confirmed that Lone was a central figure in the network. He stated that Lone had earlier led a module comprising seven Bangladeshi nationals and one Indian, which was dismantled by the police. After the crackdown, Lone allegedly returned to India with the intention of rebuilding the network and recruiting new members.

Officials revealed that Lone has a history of terror-related activities. He was previously arrested in 2007 and again in 2015 in Kashmir, where he was allegedly found in possession of an AK-47 rifle. During that period, one of his associates, Sajjad Gul, later fled to Pakistan and is believed to have played a role in forming The Resistance Front.

Investigators also found that Lone had travelled to Bangladesh, where he was reportedly working to establish a fresh module. Earlier, on February 23, Delhi Police had arrested eight suspects linked to the same network, with preliminary findings indicating that they were acting under Lone’s direction.

Sources said Lone had spent nearly a decade in jail on terror charges before being released on bail in 2019. After his release, he allegedly fled to Bangladesh and maintained contact with senior LeT commanders, including Hafeez Saeed and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, both accused of masterminding the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

Authorities are currently interrogating Lone to uncover the full extent of the network, its intended targets, and any potential threats. The investigation remains ongoing as security agencies work to dismantle the broader conspiracy.

(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)