Ranchi Room Revealed As ISIS Bomb Factory, Anti-Terror Squad Arrests Cell
Explosives, potassium nitrate, and weapons seized; recruitment network linked to foreign handler exposed.
A joint operation by the Delhi Police and Jharkhand Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has uncovered a suspected ISIS bomb-making and recruitment module operating out of a dingy lodge in Ranchi’s Islamnagar area. The breakthrough came after the arrest and interrogation of Aftab Qureshi, which led investigators to Tabarak Lodge, where 25-year-old Ashhar Danish was allegedly manufacturing explosives under the guise of preparing for competitive exams.
Officials said room number 15 of the lodge served as a makeshift bomb factory and recruitment centre. During raids, authorities recovered gunpowder, bombs of varying intensity, large quantities of potassium nitrate, and homemade weapons. Investigators revealed that the explosives were tested by detonating them in the waters of the Subarnarekha River. Potassium nitrate, commonly found in fertilisers, was being used as a key component to produce gunpowder and other deadly mixtures.
According to sources, Danish had been radicalised online by a Pakistani handler who trained him through encrypted platforms such as Signal. Multiple groups with innocuous names like “intern interview” and “business idea” were allegedly used for recruitment, radicalisation, and fundraising.
Chemicals, knives, and other bomb-making materials were procured through e-commerce platforms, while Danish was instructed on making high-grade explosives such as PETN and acetone peroxide—the latter infamously known as the “mother of Satan”.
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Authorities have identified other suspected members of the module as Sufian Khan, Mohammad Huzaif Yaman, and Kamran Qureshi, who reportedly planned attacks on senior political leaders and religious sites. The arrests, officials said, have averted potential large-scale violence. Security agencies are now probing the wider network and international links of the group.
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