ATS launches surgical strikes on Shahzad Bhatti’s ISI-linked terror network across Maha

Nagpur: In a statewide crackdown on Friday, Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) conducted coordinated raids at 158 locations targeting Pakistan-based Shahzad Bhatti’s ISI-linked terror network, which is accused of radicalising and recruiting youth through social media for anti-national activities.

Around 10 were detained in eastern Vidarbha, including four in Nagpur.Acting on specific intelligence, ATS teams swung into action early morning, raiding multiple sites across the state in coordination with other central and state agencies. The action highlights the evolving threat of hybrid warfare, where social media is being used as a tool to foment internal unrest, said an official source.In eastern Vidarbha, ATS targeted around 10 locations, including four in Nagpur, one each in Wardha and Gadchiroli, three in Chandrapur, besides sites in Akola, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Pune, and Mumbai.

“In Nagpur, searches were conducted at Vaishali Nagar, Mahendra Nagar, Yashodhara Nagar, Central Avenue, Hudkeshwar and Teka areas,” said the Nagpur-based intelligence official.The Shahzad Bhatti module allegedly monitors Indian social media users, identifies vulnerable targets and grooms them through private messages on Instagram, Facebook and encrypted platforms.“Handlers lure recruits with offers of money, fame or foreign settlement, starting with seemingly innocuous tasks like sharing location videos before escalating to radicalisation, sabotage and terror-related activity,” said the intelligence official.

Investigators have linked the Bhatti network to a blast at an RSS office in Jharkhand on June 17 and the shooting of 3 policemen in Punjab in May and June. The syndicate is suspected of building sleeper cells for precision strikes and sabotage across India, operating as a low-cost proxy arm of ISI handlers aimed at destabilising the country.“At least four individuals with different backgrounds and economic conditions have been detained for questioning in Nagpur.

Their mobile phones, electronic devices and premises are being examined in detail, while their backgrounds, social connections and digital footprints are under scrutiny. Family members and associates are also being questioned,” said the official.This operation forms part of a wider national crackdown on Bhatti’s syndicate. Similar actions in recent months have led to multiple arrests in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana, with recovery of arms, ammunition and digital evidence pointing to planned attacks on temples, police personnel, military installations and public places.Security officials consider Bhatti a high-priority target. Originally from Pakistan, he reportedly built a large online following before becoming an instrument for cross-border handlers. His network specialises in weaponising social media to convert ordinary citizens into terror assets.The ATS operation, which commenced around 4am, is continuing. Teams are analysing seized material and interrogating suspects to map the full extent of the network’s footprint in Maharashtra. Authorities have urged citizens to stay vigilant and report any suspicious online activity.(With inputs from Milind Ande)