NEW DELHI: One of the three terror suspects arrested in

's

on Monday for plotting to carry out lone-wolf attacks in the state and elsewhere, including a blast in Delhi, has told interrogators that he was driven by his thirst for "

" after being allegedly forced to end his relationship with a Hindu girl.

Delhi Police's special cell, which had sent a team to Assam after receiving a tip-off about an "IS-inspired module" planning to trigger a blast in the city, said 24-year-old Luit Zameel Zaman had projected himself as a love-struck youth wronged by the local community. An officer said Luit, who worked as a supervisor in an Aadhaar enrolment centre in the town, had fallen in love with the Hindu girl after seeing her walking home with her friends.

"He approached her through a common friend and proposed. The girl reciprocated a week before Valentine's Day this year, after which they became the talk of the neighbourhood," the officer quoted him as saying.

While the girl's family pressured her to sever all ties with Luit, their story became social media fodder. A community meeting was soon convened to "punish" him, the youth claimed. The local police station was kept in the loop when some people allegedly threatened Luit not to go anywhere near the girl.

According to the police officer, Luit's transition to a terror suspect started when he was added to a Telegram and WhatsApp group of "like-minded men". The group allegedly made plans for terror strikes and scanned the internet for do-it-yourself videos showing how to make improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

The group was also active over "jihadi chat channels" on Telegram, the police said.

Luit and his arrested accomplices - Mukadir Islam, 22, and Ranjeet Islam, 24 - bought explosives through a contact who is absconding. Using pipes, nails and ball bearings, they assembled an ED by the first week of November and decided to detonate it at the Raas Mela in Dudhnoi, which thousands of people visit every year.

Delhi Police got wind of the plan while tracking their WhatsApp and Telegram chats. On learning that the terror plot was close to execution, a team led by ACP Lalit Mohan Negi and inspector Sunil Kumar reached Assam to liaise with the police there.

Luit, Mukadir and Ranjeet were arrested when the trio was headed for the Raas Mela venue with weapons to do a recce. They might have triggered a blast during a concert at the venue at night, an Assam Police officer said.