The arrest of alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative Shabbir Ahmad Lone by the Delhi Police has put Uttar Pradesh’s security apparatus on high alert, with the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) preparing to probe potential links of the terror module within the state amid concerns of a wider network.
The development has added sensitivity given two recent crackdowns in Uttar Pradesh — the arrest of 21 people in Ghaziabad in a Pakistan-linked espionage racket between March 14 and 24, and the arrest of Haris Ali, a 19-year-old BDS student from Moradabad on March 15 for alleged ISIS links and online radicalisation.
Senior officials said the ATS is likely to seek access to Lone’s custodial interrogation records and may also formally question him to ascertain whether the Bangladesh-based LeT module had any operational footprint in UP, including transit routes, recruitment networks, financing channels, safe houses and local facilitators.
Lone was arrested near the Ghazipur border following a targeted operation by the Delhi Police Special Cell on Sunday and was remanded to a five-day police custody by a Delhi court on Monday. Investigators described him as the main handler of a Bangladesh-based LeT network allegedly operating under the direction of Pakistan’s ISI and attempting to expand its footprint in India.
Sources said investigators were examining whether Lone or his associates established contacts in western Uttar Pradesh and the NCR-adjoining belt — areas considered strategically sensitive due to their proximity to Delhi and dense interstate movement corridors.
The UP angle has gained significance as Lone is suspected to have entered India through the Nepal route, a corridor long under surveillance due to its vulnerability to clandestine infiltration. Agencies are mapping whether any transit points in eastern, central or western Uttar Pradesh were used during his movement towards Delhi.
“The focus is on identifying local facilitators, overground workers and ideological sympathisers who may have provided logistical support, shelter, forged documents or financial assistance,” a senior official said.
Investigators are also examining possible overlaps with previously detected modules in the state. The recent Ghaziabad espionage case, in which 21 individuals were arrested for allegedly passing sensitive information to Pakistan-based handlers through digital platforms and hawala channels, has heightened concerns about organised support networks.
Similarly, Haris Ali’s arrest in Moradabad exposed a separate online radicalisation and recruitment module linked to ISIS, prompting agencies to step up surveillance on digital propaganda ecosystems and vulnerable youth.
Officials said Lone was also linked to a recently busted terror module in the national capital, connected to the metro poster case, in which eight suspects including seven Bangladeshi nationals were arrested. The module had allegedly carried out reconnaissance of sensitive locations and was preparing for a larger strike.
ATS teams are expected to scrutinise digital communication records, call detail records, encrypted messaging trails and financial transactions to identify any Uttar Pradesh-based links to Lone or the wider network.
According to officials, security agencies have not ruled out fresh detentions, searches and coordinated operations across parts of the state if actionable leads emerge during the ongoing interrogation.
