In Ranchi’s Islamnagar area, a dingy lodge hid a dangerous terror plot. Behind the yellow door of Room 15, Ashhar Danish, a youth claiming to study for SSC exams, was secretly making bombs for ISIS.
Delhi Police and Jharkhand’s Anti-Terrorism Squad arrested Danish last week after interrogating another terrorist, Aftab Qureshi. Based on his information, security forces raided Tabarak Lodge and busted the cell. Officials said the group planned attacks on senior BJP leaders and religious sites.
From Danish’s room, police recovered explosives, gunpowder, homemade weapons, and large quantities of potassium nitrate, a chemical used in making bombs. Tests showed these explosives were detonated in the Subarnarekha River.
Investigators revealed Danish was radicalised online by a Pakistani handler. Once recruited, he began pulling in others using encrypted apps like Signal. Groups with names such as “intern interview” or “business idea” masked fundraising and recruitment activities. The money was used to buy knives, chemicals, and bomb-making materials from online platforms like Amazon.
Police said the module experimented with PETN and acetone peroxide bombs, infamously called the “mother of Satan.” Other members identified include Sufian Khan, Mohammad Huzaif Yaman, and Kamran Qureshi.
