Three LeT militants arrested in New Delhi

NEW DELHI: A major plot to strike terror in the national capital was foiled on Thursday night with police arresting three militants, including a Pakistani, of the Lashker-e-Toiba from a popular shopping arcade here with a huge quantity of explosives.

The three militants -- Abu Qasim, a Pakistani, and Shafaqat and Shabeer, both from Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir -- were nabbed right outside Dilli Haat in South Delhi this evening, Joint Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Karnal Singh said.

The three militants, in their twenties, were being interrogated about their plans, he said.

Two kg of RDX, three detonators, two hand grenades, a timer, gelatin sticks, all the explosives being ready-to-use, and Rs 25,000 cash were recovered from them, Singh said.

Police had received information from the intelligence agencies that some LeT militants could assemble at Dilli Haat and had deployed a special team to intercept them at the shopping complex, a favourite destination of Delhiites for buying handicrafts from different states.

At around 7 pm, two of the militants arrived and after some time the third came, who handed over a consignment to them.

"As the material was changing hands, the policemen deployed there swooped on the militants and nabbed them," Singh said.

"The arrests led to a lot of commotion in Dilli Haat and the visitors as well as the stall-owners panicked and ran to safety," said Narendra Singh, an eyewitness.