A post (here, here, here, and here) featuring a photo of a man wearing a vest and allegedly containing explosives (a bomb) is going viral on social media platforms. The post claims that the National Investigation Agency (NIA), with the assistance of the Delhi and Uttar Pradesh Police, conducted raids in Delhi’s Seelampur and Amroha in Uttar Pradesh, arrested 16 individuals, and recovered a large cache of explosives, suicide vests, time bombs, alarm clocks, mobile phones, SIM cards, and cash. Through this article, let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of a suicide bomber arrested during the recent NIA raids in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh in May 2025.
Fact: The viral photo shows a Taliban suicide bomber who was arrested by Afghan security forces in Farah province, Afghanistan, in 2010. There are no reports of any NIA raids in Delhi or Uttar Pradesh in May 2025 involving the arrest of terrorists or the recovery of explosives and weapons. However, the details mentioned in the viral post actually pertain to raids conducted by the NIA in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh on 26 December 2018, during which the NIA arrested 10 individuals and recovered explosives, a rocket launcher, and approximately ₹7.5 lakh in cash. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
We conducted a keyword search to verify whether the NIA had carried out any raids in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh in May 2025 and arrested any suicide bombers or terrorists. However, the search did not yield any credible reports. We then checked the NIA’s official website and social media handles (here, here), but found no information supporting the viral claim.
During this process, we came across several news reports published in December 2018 (here, here, here, and here). According to these reports, the NIA, along with the Special Cell of the Delhi Police and the Anti-Terrorist Squad of Uttar Pradesh, conducted raids at 17 locations in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. Several individuals were detained in connection with a new Islamic State (IS) module called Harkat-ul-Harb-e-Islam. These reports further stated that a large cache of bomb-making materials, weapons, and a country-made rocket launcher were seized, and that those detained were allegedly planning to target political leaders, as well as government and security installations.
Further, we found a press release issued by the NIA on 26 December 2018, titled ‘NIA crackdown on ISIS module ‘ Harkat-ul- Harb-e-Islam’. According to the release, in the early morning of 26 December 2018, the NIA conducted searches at 17 locations in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh as part of a major crackdown on an ISIS-inspired module named ‘Harkat-ul-Harb-e-Islam’, with active support from the Delhi Police and UP Police/UP ATS. Mufti Mohammad Suhail, identified as the main mastermind behind the group, was arrested along with nine others. Several additional individuals were questioned as suspects. A significant quantity of explosives, firearms, ammunition, a rocket launcher, mobile phones, SIM cards, approximately ₹7.5 lakh in cash, and other electronic devices were recovered during the raids. According to information available on the NIA’s official website, a chargesheet was filed in 2019 in connection with this case, which remains under investigation as of May 2025.
A Google reverse image search of the viral photo featured in the post revealed that the photo has been in circulation since 2010. According to news reports (here and here) published in 2010, the viral photo shows a Taliban suicide bomber who was arrested by Afghan security forces in Farah province.
To sum it up, a 2010 photo from Afghanistan is being shared with the false claim that the NIA arrested a suicide bomber in Delhi in May 2025.
