Security agencies have launched a major multi-state crackdown on the Pakistan-based, alleged ISI-backed Shahzad Bhatti Network ahead of Independence Day, detaining 253 people across 14 states and registering more than 80 FIRs, officials said.
The coordinated operation, carried out on August 12 through real-time intelligence sharing with state police forces, targeted suspected operatives allegedly involved in preparations for subversive activities around August 15.
The largest number of detentions were reported from Uttar Pradesh (62), Haryana (52), Delhi (51) and Punjab (44), followed by Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and other states.
Security agencies also reported significant recoveries, including IEDs, grenades bearing Pakistan Ordnance Factory markings, pistols, live cartridges and CCTV cameras allegedly used for surveillance. Officials said the recoveries pointed to the network’s suspected cross-border links.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has linked the network to alleged grenade, IED and petrol-bomb attacks, targeted killings and reconnaissance of police, defence and religious sites. Investigators have also been examining the use of local criminal networks and recruits for logistical and surveillance activities.
The crackdown follows a series of investigations into Bhatti-linked terror-gangster networks. In June, the National Investigation Agency searched 18 locations in Punjab and Haryana in three cases connected to Pakistan-based terrorist Shahzad Bhatti, seizing digital devices and documents for forensic examination.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah described the latest action as evidence of the government’s zero-tolerance policy towards cross-border terrorism, saying the operation had disrupted the network’s plans.
The investigations will now focus on establishing the individual roles of those detained, tracing weapons and financial channels, and determining the extent of the alleged cross-border command structure. Allegations against individual suspects remain subject to investigation and judicial process.
