NEW DELHI, Apr 18: The Delhi Police have arrested four “radicalised” men from Maharashtra, Odisha and Bihar who allegedly planned terror activities, carried out recce of sensitive locations to target them and attempted to recruit others through encrypted online platforms, officials said on Saturday.
An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and related material were seized during the operation, police said. Two of the accused were in the process of assembling a remote-controlled toy car fitted with an IED to target crowded places, they alleged.
The Special Cell apprehended two of the accused from Maharashtra and one each from Odisha and Bihar in a coordinated, intelligence-led operation, the officials said. The four were influenced by extremist ideology centered around the idea of establishing a Caliphate and were promoting narratives such as “Ghazwa-e-Hind,” the police alleged.
“They were also allegedly inspired by the concept of a ‘Lashkar from Khurasan’ carrying black flags, which they used as part of their propaganda to radicalise others,” a senior police officer said.
He said the accused were active on closed and encrypted social media groups where content related to jihad, extremist ideology and weapons was shared. These platforms were allegedly used to identify, indoctrinate and recruit new members. “One of the accused allegedly shared an edited image of the Red Fort with a black flag to radicalise followers and signal symbolic targets,” the officer said.
The probe revealed that one of the accused had visited Delhi in December 2025 and conducted reconnaissance of key locations, including the Red Fort and India Gate. Investigators said the module had also discussed potential strikes on high-value targets such as the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the Parliament House and certain military installations.
Security agencies believe the group intended to target crowded public places and symbolic landmarks to maximize panic and psychological impact. “All four accused — Mosaib Ahmad, Mohammad Hammad, Mohammad Sohail and Sheikh Imran — belong to modest socio-economic backgrounds. A case has been registered and further investigation is underway to identify their associates, handlers and the broader network,” the officer said.
Mosaib had previously worked in Gulf countries as an auto electrician and was allegedly using his technical skills to design a remote-controlled car fitted with an IED “Preliminary findings suggest the use of a small remote-controlled device points to a plan to execute a stealth attack in crowded areas,” the officer said.
(Rohit Kumar)
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