Indian agencies arrest Huzaifa over links to Dawood Ibrahim syndicate in Mumbai

Indian security agencies have arrested a suspected operative named Huzaifa from Mumbai. He is accused of being a important coordinator in an ISI-backed underworld terror module.

The arrest was executed in a joint operation by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the Delhi Police Special Cell, following an intensive three-day manhunt and multi-city raids across Maharashtra.

According to intelligence sources, Huzaifa was working as a key domestic recruiter and handler, maintaining direct and frequent contact with high-profile, Pakistan-based handlers linked to the D-Company (Dawood Ibrahim’s syndicate) and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

The link to Pakistan and D-company handlers

Investigators reveal that Huzaifa was operating at the behest of notorious fugitive figures based in Pakistan. Chief among them is Syed Mudassar Hussain, alias "Munna Jhingada", a fiercely loyal lieutenant of Dawood Ibrahim.

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Jhingada, who spent 17 years in a Bangkok prison for the attempted assassination of rival gangster Chhota Rajan before being extradited back to Pakistan, has reportedly been working with the ISI to reactivate dormant underworld assets for terror activities inside India.

In addition to Jhingada, Huzaifa was allegedly in close communication with Pakistan-based gangster Shahzad Bhatti and another ISI handler identified as Yawar Khan.

Hub of a multi-state terror network

Huzaifa’s role came to light following a sweeping crackdown by the Delhi Police Special Cell, which recently busted a broader module by arresting nine other operatives across Delhi, Mumbai, and Punjab.

Previously arrested suspects, including Tauqeer Sheikh and Arbaz Khan who were picked up in Mumbai, confessed during interrogation that they had been recruited directly by Huzaifa.

According to their disclosures, Huzaifa was tasked with identifying, radicalising, and recruiting local youth to execute sabotage. The module had already conducted extensive reconnaissance of major public infrastructure, including Dadar railway station and several critical bridges in Mumbai.

The group was allegedly preparing to carry out synchronised grenade attacks, drive-by shootings, and targeted strikes on security personnel, police establishments, and prominent religious sites in Delhi and Mumbai.

The wider network also involved heavy logistics.

Just days prior to Huzaifa's arrest, the Special Cell intercepted a vehicle in Delhi carrying operatives from Punjab, recovering a massive cache of drone-smuggled automatic weapons, live hand grenades, and Pakistani-origin ammunition. A Nepali national, Ang Kami Lama, was also arrested for allegedly financing the operation and setting up local safe houses under Jhingada's instructions.

Officials view Huzaifa’s arrest as a severe blow to the module, as he is believed to hold critical information regarding the financial pipeline, digital communication channels, and other potential sleeper cells embedded in metropolitan cities.

The Delhi Police Special Cell is currently producing Huzaifa before a local transit court to secure a production warrant, allowing them to bring him to New Delhi for extensive custodial interrogation.