ISI-Underworld Nexus: Karachi-Based Munna Jhingada Orchestrated Foiled Mumbai Attacks

After a major terror plot targeting Mumbai was uncovered by the Delhi Police Special Cell which resulted in eight arrests, investigators say the suspects were planning retaliatory strikes in the city following the recent demolition of an illegal mosque built on railway land in the Garib Nagar area of Bandra East.

The investigation has revealed that the planned attacks were meant to target the police personnel who took part in the anti-encroachment drive, as well as members of the local Hindu community.

Intelligence sources state that the conspiracy was put together by a network involving Pakistan’s ISI, gangster Shahzad Bhatti, Dubai-based handler Yawar Khan, and notorious underworld operative Munna Jhingada. 

Jhingada, who is believed to be operating out of Karachi, allegedly managed the day-to-day coordination of the plot and oversaw the surveillance teams on the ground. The suspects had already carried out extensive reconnaissance of Garib Nagar, taking detailed photographs and videos of security deployments to send back to their handlers in Pakistan and Dubai.

The breakthrough in the case came on May 27, 2026, when the Delhi Police Special Cell arrested Sajid Mehboob Shaikh, also known as Arbaaz Khan, in Kurla, and Tauqeer Rizwan Shaikh in Mumbra. During questioning, the duo admitted to surveying multiple spots across Mumbai.

Beyond Garib Nagar itself, the operatives had also filmed the heavily crowded Sabzi Mandi Bridge right outside the Dadar Railway Station, marking it as a potential target for a secondary strike.

Sources say the module was given specific instructions to carry out grenade attacks and open fire indiscriminately on police officers, security forces, and key installations across the city.

During the arrests, police recovered cell phones packed with videos of various Mumbai locations, alongside chat logs and voice notes exchanged with foreign handlers. While two operatives are now in custody, a massive manhunt is underway for a local recruiter identified as Huzaifa, who allegedly scouted and hired local youth for the network. 

In light of these findings, the Mumbai Police and the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad have intensified citywide surveillance and are actively digging into local links connected to the module.

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