In a high-stakes intelligence operation, the Delhi Police — with the support of central agencies — have dismantled an ISI sleeper cell network, arresting two agents, including a Nepali-origin operative.
The operation ran secretly between January and March 2025, culminating in the arrests and recovery of sensitive documents related to India’s armed forces.
One of the arrested agents, identified as Ansarul Mian Ansari, was caught at a Delhi hotel while allegedly attempting to flee to Pakistan. Sources revealed that Ansari previously worked as a cab driver in Qatar, where he came into contact with an ISI handler. He was then taken to Pakistan for training and subsequently infiltrated into India via Nepal.
Investigators say Ansari was tasked with gathering classified information and sending it back to Pakistan in digital format. Following his interrogation, another associate was apprehended in Ranchi. A chargesheet has been filed, and both individuals are currently lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail.
This development comes amid a broader crackdown on sleeper cells across the country. Just days earlier, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested two long-absconding ISIS-linked operatives — Abdullah Faiyaz Shaikh and Talha Khan — at Mumbai airport upon their return from Jakarta. The duo had been wanted in a 2023 case involving the fabrication and testing of IEDs in Pune.
The arrests mark an escalation in India’s counterterrorism efforts, especially following Operation Sindoor, a major military strike on May 7 in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives. Indian forces targeted nine terrorist camps across Pakistan and PoK, prompting retaliatory attempts by Pakistan involving drones and cross-border shelling, which were effectively neutralized by India’s defence systems.
As of May 10, both nations agreed to a ceasefire, halting military operations. However, security agencies remain on high alert, intensifying their crackdown on hidden terror networks operating within India.
