An official said a state-wide alert has been sounded after information was received about the presence of Ansar Ghazwatul Hind chief Zakir Musa holed up somewhere in Amroha.

Searches were also being conducted in Lucknow, Simbhaoli and other places, a National Investigation Agency (NIA) official said, adding that in Uttar Pradesh, where it conducted joint searches with the state's Anti-Terror Squad (ATS), five persons were detained in Amroha district.

An official source said that one of the alleged module heads Suhail was detained with one pistol and explosive material from Amroha.

Raids were conducted at the Saidpur Imma village from where the NIA picked up three siblings -- Idrees, Nafees and Anees -- son of Shaheed Ahmad, who owns a welding shop at Dhanaura Adda.

Ahmad was also under the NIA's radar and his house in Islam Nagar was raided.

The three brothers were being questioned, an NIA source told IANS. They were being monitored by the anti-terror probe agency for the past three months after the sale of a pistol to terrorist Jamshed by students of DNS College.

Raids were also conducted at the Shahi Chabutara locality, Pachdara locality, and at the house of Siraz Lassiwala.

The agency also recovered one pistol and a grenade launcher besides jihadi literature.

In east Delhi's Jafarabad area, the NIA carried out searches along with the Delhi Police's Special Cell and recovered seven pistols and swords.

According to the NIA sources, there were five such teams in Delhi which were planning attacks on important offices in the national capital.

The NIA source said that questioning of those nabbed would reveal vital information about the module, their plans and handlers.