In a major counter-terror success, Delhi Police’s Special Cell, working with Jharkhand ATS and Ranchi Police, have busted an ISIS-linked bomb-making and recruitment cell operating from a lodge in Ranchi.
The prime accused, Ashhar Danish, a postgraduate in English from Bokaro district, had been staying in Room No. 15 of the Tabarak Lodge in Islamnagar, Ranchi, since January this year. Though he posed as a student preparing for competitive exams, investigators say Danish had converted his room into a bomb-making workshop and a recruitment hub for ISIS.
His arrest followed the earlier capture of Aftab Qureshi in Delhi, which led police to the Ranchi module. During the raid, authorities seized gunpowder, potassium nitrate, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, country-made firearms, and other explosive materials. Investigators believe the group was plotting attacks, including plans to target senior BJP leaders.
Police revealed that Danish and his associates used encrypted messaging apps like Signal to communicate, disguising chat groups with harmless names such as “intern interview” and “business idea” to evade detection. The network reportedly carried out radicalisation and recruitment for ISIS activities across states.
Alongside Danish and Qureshi, several other suspects connected to the module have been detained, including Sufian Khan, Mohammad Huzaif Yaman, and Kamran Qureshi. Investigations are underway to identify sleeper cells and dismantle their wider network.
Officials confirmed that the terror cell specialised in bomb-making using locally available chemicals and low-cost weapons, raising concerns about its potential reach. The arrests, however, are being hailed as a significant blow to ISIS operations in India.
