The Delhi Police Special Cell has dismantled an alleged Pakistan-linked international terror-crime syndicate involved in the smuggling of illegal arms, ammunition, and narcotics into the national capital region, officials said. According to police, the network was allegedly being operated by gangster-turned-terrorist Shahzad Bhatti and Ajmal Gujjar. Seven suspected members of the syndicate have been arrested during a coordinated operation.
Investigators said the group was using routes through Punjab to transport illegal weapons, ammunition, and narcotic substances from Pakistan into Delhi-NCR. During the crackdown, police recovered five sophisticated semi-automatic pistols, 41 live cartridges, seven mobile phones, and a vehicle allegedly used by the syndicate.
Officials said the seized mobile phones contained chats and voice messages purportedly linked to Shahzad Bhatti and Ajmal Gujjar. Police also recovered details of multiple bank accounts that were allegedly used to channel proceeds from the illegal activities.
The Special Cell said the operation helped avert several planned terror incidents in Delhi-NCR. According to investigators, intelligence inputs suggested that Shahzad Bhatti was allegedly operating under the patronage of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and was recruiting youths through social media platforms to carry out attacks in the region.
Acting on the intelligence, police first apprehended a suspect from Loni in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad district, leading investigators to uncover the wider network and its alleged operations.
(Pic courtesy : AIR)
