The Delhi Police said on Tuesday the Pakistani national arrested on Monday had been living in the country for more than a decade using Indian identity.

Deputy commissioner of police, special cell, Pramod Kushwaha, said initial investigation had revealed his involvement as sleeper cell and orchestrating subversive activities.

The Pakistani, identified as Mohd Asraf, was arrested from the Laxmi Nagar area in Delhi on Monday. A major terrorist strike was averted, police said.

“He has revealed his involvement in several terrorist activities in Jammu & Kashmir and other places in India Lately, he was tasked to carry out terror activities, the place was not mentioned. He has been trained by Pakistan’s ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence). We are trying to identify his other associates,” the senior police officer was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

“It is coming to light that in the past too he was involved in terror activities. ISI handler with code name Nasir recruited him and was giving him instructions. We have averted a major terrorist strike,” Kushwaha said.

“He was sent through Siliguri border via Bangladesh. His handler from Pakistan had tasked him (to carry out terror operations). He had earlier also disguising as ‘Peer Maulana’ in and around Delhi,” the senior officer added.

“He got several fake ids made, one such was under the name of Ahmed Noori. He had acquired an Indian passport too, travelled to Thailand and Saudi Arabia. He married an Indian woman in Ghaziabad for documents and had acquired Indian id from Bihar,” he further said.

Meanwhile, the owner of the house from where Ashraf used to stay in Delhi said they would cooperate with police. “He lived here for six months. My father got his Aadhar Card made for documentation. After he left, we were not in touch with him. If needed, we will cooperate with the police,” said the man, Uzaib.