The Special Cell of the Delhi Police on 30 May busted a major terror module that had been planning high-value attacks in New Delhi and Mumbai, arresting nine persons with alleged links to the Dawood Ibrahim syndicate and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Security agencies have declared a high alert across Delhi and neighbouring areas following the operation.

Who Was Arrested and What Was Seized

The nine arrested individuals include residents of Mumbai and Delhi, as well as some foreign nationals, according to officials. Investigators recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition from the accused. Officials described the bust as significant given the scale and nature of the targets the group had identified.

Targets and Threat Assessment

According to officials, the module had identified nuclear installations, airports, and railway stations as targets — a profile consistent with high-casualty, high-visibility strikes. The group had reportedly been under surveillance by security agencies for several months before actionable intelligence enabled the arrests.

Notably, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) had issued warnings weeks earlier about the risk of IED attacks, suicide strikes, and lone-wolf shooting incidents in Delhi and surrounding areas. District units had already been placed on heightened alert and instructed to coordinate with central agencies.

ISI-Dawood Nexus Behind the Module

An Intelligence Bureau official said the ISI has been using the Dawood Ibrahim syndicate as a conduit to establish homegrown terror cells inside India. Officials argue this structure is designed to give Pakistan plausible deniability after any attack — a strategy that has reportedly intensified since Operation Sindoor, after which India revised its counter-terror doctrine to treat any act of terror originating from Pakistan as an act of war rather than a cross-border terror incident.

This is the second such module dismantled in quick succession. The Faridabad module, which was also planning strikes in Delhi and Mumbai, was shut down by agencies just months earlier — indicating a sustained and coordinated effort to activate cells across the national capital region.

Security Posture After the Bust

Following the arrests, a high alert has been declared in Delhi and neighbouring areas. District police units have been directed to maintain heightened vigilance and stay in active coordination with central intelligence agencies. Officials say the ISI has been stepping up attempts to operationalise homegrown networks in India, making such busts increasingly critical to pre-empting mass-casualty events.

With Pakistan's proxy infrastructure under renewed scrutiny post-Operation Sindoor, security agencies are expected to intensify surveillance of similar cells across other major Indian cities in the weeks ahead.