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Eight persons with alleged links to Pakistan, Bangladesh terror outfits arrested from Bengal, Tamil Nadu

February 22, 2026 5 min read Internal Security GS3
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What Happened

  • Eight individuals, all Bangladeshi nationals with fake Indian identity documents (Aadhaar cards), were arrested from West Bengal and Tamil Nadu's Tiruppur district in a coordinated operation by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police.
  • Six were apprehended from a garment factory in Tiruppur (Tamil Nadu), and two were arrested from Kolkata (West Bengal) during a phased operation beginning February 15, 2026.
  • The arrests exposed an active Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) module operating under Pakistan's ISI, with a Bangladesh-based handler identified as Shabbir Ahmad Lone — a Kashmiri militant reportedly maintaining contact with LeT leadership since 2007.
  • Evidence recovered: 8 mobile phones and 16 SIM cards showing reconnaissance of multiple Indian cities, including planned targets such as the Red Fort and temples in North India.
  • The handler had direct communication links to 26/11 Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed and senior LeT commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi.
  • The ISI strategy employed involves recruiting illegal Bangladeshi immigrants inside India as local operatives to avoid direct traceability to Pakistani handlers.
  • Cases registered under UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) and relevant provisions of the IPC.

Static Topic Bridges

Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Its Operational Network

Lashkar-e-Taiba, designated as a terrorist organization by India, the U.S., the UN, and the EU, remains one of the most active Pakistan-based terror outfits targeting India.

  • Founded in 1987 by Hafiz Saeed and Zafar Iqbal with ideological and financial support from Pakistan's ISI; headquartered in Lahore/Muridke, Pakistan.
  • Responsible for the November 26, 2008 Mumbai attacks (26/11) — a 60-hour siege that killed 166 people across multiple targets.
  • Proscribed under the UN Security Council's 1267 Sanctions List.
  • Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi — operational commander of the 26/11 attacks — has been convicted in Pakistan but continues to remain at large under various judicial orders.
  • LeT's evolving strategy involves setting up "local modules" within India using illegal migrants and sympathizers, to reduce the foreign footprint and attribution risk.

Connection to this news: The arrested module operated under a Bangladesh-based handler with direct links to LeT's top leadership, illustrating the organization's continued strategy of proxy operatives to circumvent border security.

Illegal Immigration, Fake Documents, and Internal Security

The use of fake identity documents by cross-border operatives represents a systemic vulnerability in India's internal security architecture.

  • India's Aadhaar system (Unique Identification Authority of India — UIDAI), while biometrically robust, has documented vulnerabilities in enrollment where fake documents were used to obtain genuine Aadhaar cards.
  • The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA, 2019) and the debate around the National Register of Citizens (NRC) are directly linked to concerns about illegal Bangladeshi migration — particularly in West Bengal and the northeastern states.
  • The Foreigners Act, 1946 and the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 are the primary legal instruments governing illegal migration; deportation orders require coordination between states and the central government.
  • Infiltration through garment industry employment hubs (like Tiruppur, which employs millions of migrant workers) provides cover for operatives because mass migrant movement makes individual screening difficult.

Connection to this news: The operatives used fake Aadhaar cards to blend into the migrant workforce at Tiruppur garment factories — exploiting the combination of high migrant labour mobility and document verification gaps.

The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Counter-Terror Framework

UAPA is India's primary counter-terrorism legislation, providing the legal basis for designation of terror organizations and prosecution of terror-related offences.

  • Originally enacted in 1967 to deal with secessionist movements; significantly amended in 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2019 to strengthen counter-terrorism provisions.
  • Key 2019 amendment: allows designation of individuals (not just organizations) as terrorists — a significant expansion of scope.
  • UAPA allows for 180-day detention without bail (extendable by courts), reversal of bail burden (accused must prove innocence for bail), and attachment of property.
  • The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is the primary federal investigative body under the NIA Act, 2008, with jurisdiction over UAPA cases.
  • The 2019 amendment was upheld by the Supreme Court in Sajal Awasthi v. Union of India (2023).

Connection to this news: Cases registered under UAPA allow the Special Cell to hold the arrested individuals while the full network is investigated — including tracing financial flows from Pakistan-based handlers to the local module.

ISI's "Local Module" Strategy: Proxy Terror Without Direct Attribution

Pakistan's ISI has shifted from direct infiltration of armed militants (prominent in the 1990s-2000s) toward building local networks using vulnerable populations already inside India.

  • The strategy exploits illegal Bangladeshi migrants in India (estimated 10-20 million by various assessments, concentrated in West Bengal, Assam, and urban centres).
  • Recruiters operate through social media and encrypted messaging platforms, using online religious radicalization as entry point.
  • Financial flows occur through hawala networks and cryptocurrency transfers, bypassing formal banking channels monitored under PMLA.
  • Intelligence agencies — RAW (external), IB (internal), and Military Intelligence — share inputs through the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC), established post-2001 Kargil Review.
  • The NIA Act, 2008 empowers NIA to investigate offences regardless of state boundaries — critical when modules span multiple states as in this case.

Connection to this news: The arrest of operatives from both West Bengal (border state with Bangladesh) and Tamil Nadu (deep interior) demonstrates that ISI's local module strategy is not geographically limited — it exploits the nationwide migrant labour economy.

Key Facts & Data

  • Arrested: 8 individuals, all Bangladeshi nationals with fake Aadhaar cards
  • Locations: Kolkata (West Bengal) and Tiruppur (Tamil Nadu)
  • Arresting agency: Special Cell, Delhi Police
  • Handler identified: Shabbir Ahmad Lone, Bangladesh-based, LeT-linked (since 2007)
  • Links to: Hafiz Saeed (26/11 mastermind) and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi (26/11 operational commander)
  • Planned targets: Red Fort, temples in North India
  • Evidence: 8 mobile phones, 16 SIM cards, reconnaissance data
  • LeT founded: 1987; 26/11 Mumbai attacks: November 26, 2008 (166 killed)
  • UAPA enacted: 1967; key amendments: 2008, 2019 (individual designation added)
  • NIA Act: 2008 (multi-state jurisdiction)
  • UAPA 2019 amendment upheld: Sajal Awasthi v. Union of India (2023)
  • MAC (Multi-Agency Centre) established: Post-2001, Kargil Review Committee recommendation