Just a day before Republic Day, when Delhi was on high alert and was already a fortress guarded by high-strung nerves and steel barricades, a cryptic WhatsApp message and photo raised alarms through Delhi Police. The message triggered a massive security alert ahead of 77th Republic Day. An alert was flashed from Uttar Pradesh Police in which a young woman from Bareilly had flagged her friend's WhatsApp activity: a seemingly chilling message that read, "We have taken our positions, come,". The message was with a photo that rang alarm bells through the intelligence grid, reports TOI's Abhay.
The woman, who had read reports about the heightened security mobilisation across Delhi over cryptic online chatter referring to “26-26” and the recent activities of a white-collar terror module, grew suspicious of her friend's behaviour. The friend from Jamia Nagar in Delhi had handed her the phone for a few minutes when they were at their college in Noida two days ago. It was then that a notification flashed on the screen, accompanied by an image of a group of young men — their faces obscured, clad in tactical gear and turbans resembling those worn by jihadi fighters, alongside other shadowy, masked figures.
With Republic Day less than 24 hours away, the image led to a fear among intelligence agencies that it could be a co-ordinated terror attack, leading to a tense 12-hour manhunt in Jamia Nagar. The analysts in the special cell viewed this as a potential blueprint of an impending attack that needed to be foiled. References to specific “positions” were seen as indicative of preparations for a coordinated strike. Intelligence officers said the pattern bore similarities to the infamous Faridabad “doctor terror” module, who carried out the Red Fort blast on September 10, killing dozens of people.
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Within minutes, dozens of armed plainclothes officers fanned out across the area, slipping through the evening crowds with calculated precision. Every parked vehicle and dimly lit doorway was treated as a potential ambush point. What followed was a silent, high-stakes hunt — a shadowy pursuit of unseen suspects.
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As midnight approached, investigators narrowed the search to a residential block. Adrenaline surged as officers advanced step by step, bracing for a possible firefight. Instead, they intercepted a young woman — the same friend whose phone had triggered the alert. When officers placed the photograph on the table before her, her expression shifted from fear to bewilderment.
It soon emerged that the “positions” seen in the image were taken during rehearsals for a private fancy-dress party, with the so-called “battle dress” merely part of a theatrical theme. Investigators concluded that the woman, anxious about a potential Republic Day terror threat, had mistaken a group chat discussing a drama skit for extremist planning. After nearly 12 nerve-racking hours, the elite strike team finally stood down, relieved that the intense operation had ended as a dark comedy of errors rather than a deadly plot.
(With TOI inputs)
The woman, who had read reports about the heightened security mobilisation across Delhi over cryptic online chatter referring to “26-26” and the recent activities of a white-collar terror module, grew suspicious of her friend's behaviour. The friend from Jamia Nagar in Delhi had handed her the phone for a few minutes when they were at their college in Noida two days ago. It was then that a notification flashed on the screen, accompanied by an image of a group of young men — their faces obscured, clad in tactical gear and turbans resembling those worn by jihadi fighters, alongside other shadowy, masked figures.
With Republic Day less than 24 hours away, the image led to a fear among intelligence agencies that it could be a co-ordinated terror attack, leading to a tense 12-hour manhunt in Jamia Nagar. The analysts in the special cell viewed this as a potential blueprint of an impending attack that needed to be foiled. References to specific “positions” were seen as indicative of preparations for a coordinated strike. Intelligence officers said the pattern bore similarities to the infamous Faridabad “doctor terror” module, who carried out the Red Fort blast on September 10, killing dozens of people.
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Swift action by special cell headquarters
The directive from the special cell headquarters was swift and unambiguous: initiate full-spectrum surveillance. Elite tactical units were pulled off standby, while technical teams began tracking every digital footprint in real time. By sunset, tension had peaked. Soon after, GPS coordinates linked to the suspected targets flashed on screens and fixed their location in the maze of lanes in southeast Delhi’s Jamia Nagar.Within minutes, dozens of armed plainclothes officers fanned out across the area, slipping through the evening crowds with calculated precision. Every parked vehicle and dimly lit doorway was treated as a potential ambush point. What followed was a silent, high-stakes hunt — a shadowy pursuit of unseen suspects.
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As midnight approached, investigators narrowed the search to a residential block. Adrenaline surged as officers advanced step by step, bracing for a possible firefight. Instead, they intercepted a young woman — the same friend whose phone had triggered the alert. When officers placed the photograph on the table before her, her expression shifted from fear to bewilderment.
It soon emerged that the “positions” seen in the image were taken during rehearsals for a private fancy-dress party, with the so-called “battle dress” merely part of a theatrical theme. Investigators concluded that the woman, anxious about a potential Republic Day terror threat, had mistaken a group chat discussing a drama skit for extremist planning. After nearly 12 nerve-racking hours, the elite strike team finally stood down, relieved that the intense operation had ended as a dark comedy of errors rather than a deadly plot.
(With TOI inputs)
