Last year, the Special Cell arrested several people following coordinated searches in multiple states, including Delhi, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh. (File image)The Delhi Police Special Cell has claimed that two suspected Islamic State (ISIS) operatives and their three associates were “influenced by radical material” from controversial preacher Zakir Naik and Pakistan-based clerics Maulana Tariq Masood, Maulana Tariq Jameel, Dr Israr Ahmed, and Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza, and were planning attacks on senior political leaders.In the chargesheet, submitted before a court earlier this month, the New Delhi Range of the Special Cell claimed that the group discussed possible assassinations of senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and a top Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) functionary.The officer said the chargesheeted include Ashhar Danish, 23, a native of Bokaro in Jharkhand; Aaftab Nasir Qureshi, 25, of Kalyan in Maharashtra, and Sufiyan Abubkar Khan, 20, of Thane; Kamran Qureshi alias Samar Khan, 27, from Rajgarh in Madhya Pradesh; and Mohd Huzaif Yaman, 20, a resident of Nizamabad in Telangana.“One of the arrested men, Ashhar Danish, made a group, Ram Rajya Akhand Bharat, to avoid detection. He also made a group ‘CEO company’ on the Signal app and named his own ID as CEO and posed as a leader of a group,” the officer said.Last year, the Special Cell arrested several people following coordinated searches in multiple states, including Delhi, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh.“Encrypted chats, social media activity, and recovered digital devices formed a key part of the evidence cited in the chargesheet. On September 9, the police first arrested Aaftab Nasir Qureshi and Sufiyan Abubkar Khan from Delhi when they came to procure arms and ammunition. Later, raids were conducted, and three more were arrested,” the officer said.ALSO READ | Who is Shabir Ahmad Lone, the J&K man ‘behind ISI-Bangladesh terror outfit’According to the officer, Ashhar Danish came into contact with one Hassan Bhatti, alias Hassan Mujahideen, from Lahore, Pakistan, after posting comments on a video of Dr Israr Ahmed on Instagram. “Bhatti had even shared multiple videos related to the atrocities against Muslims in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh with him and also informed him that he would enter India through the Rajasthan border to fight against the Indian government in the name of Ghazwa with the help of his 200-500 associates,” the officer added.Story continues below this adAccording to the Delhi Police, their probe has shown that Ashhar Danish and Kamran Qureshi planned to form an NGO, Mashriq, to raise funds. “They decided to get funds through the NGO, they should accumulate weapons, and they should build arms factories along with training grounds. In 2024, Ashhar Danish made a TATP explosive for trial purposes and disposed of the same in the Subarnarekha River in Ranchi,” the officer said.Mahender Singh Manral is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. He is known for his impactful and breaking stories. He covers the Ministry of Home Affairs, Investigative Agencies, National Investigative Agency, Central Bureau of Investigation, Law Enforcement Agencies, Paramilitary Forces, and internal security. Prior to this, Manral had extensively reported on city-based crime stories along with that he also covered the anti-corruption branch of the Delhi government for a decade. He is known for his knack for News and a detailed understanding of stories. He also worked with Mail Today as a senior correspondent for eleven months. He has also worked with The Pioneer for two years where he was exclusively covering crime beat. During his initial days of the career he also worked with The Statesman newspaper in the national capital, where he was entrusted with beats like crime, education, and the Delhi Jal Board. A graduate in Mass Communication, Manral is always in search of stories that impact lives. ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:delhi