Shabir Ahmed Lone, a Lashkar-e-Taiba operative and alleged handler of the recently uncovered LeT module linked to the Metro Poster case, was arrested on Monday by the Delhi Police Special Cell. Officials stated that he is suspected to be a sleeper cell operative associated with the terror group, and further details are awaited.

Earlier, on February 23, Delhi Police had arrested eight individuals in connection with the LeT module. Investigations revealed that the group was operating under Lone, who had previously spent ten years in prison on terrorism charges. After being released on bail in 2019, he reportedly fled to Bangladesh, according to sources.

Lone is said to have been in direct contact with banned terror outfit leaders Hafeez Saeed and Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi, who are considered key masterminds behind the 26/11 attacks. Authorities are currently interrogating the eight arrested suspects to determine whether they were planning an attack on a temple or another crowded location.

Sources further indicated that Lone was tasked with recruiting and radicalising illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in India. He allegedly influenced the arrested individuals by indoctrinating them into the LeT ideology and arranged fake identity documents, such as Aadhaar cards, through intermediaries. The suspects were also reportedly supplied with weapons for potential attacks.