The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) is currently engaged in a significant operation related to suspected ties with Pakistani gangster Shahzad Bhatti, with raids ongoing in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. Various ATS teams are simultaneously conducting operations in different cities across Maharashtra and have detained some individuals for interrogation. Shahzad Bhatti and his associates allegedly utilized social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, and WhatsApp to connect with young individuals, as per the Maharashtra ATS.
The operation aims to probe individuals allegedly associated with Shahzad Bhatti’s network. An official from the Maharashtra ATS mentioned that the teams are conducting searches and questioning suspects as part of their ongoing actions. Further details on the operation are anticipated from the Maharashtra ATS in due course. Bhatti has been identified as the latest operative of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) responsible for orchestrating a substantial recruitment campaign in India to fuel terrorism.
Reports suggest that Bhatti has been operating this recruitment network in India for several months, employing a dynamic recruitment strategy to avoid detection. He targets one state at a time and relocates operations when security agencies close in on his network. Previously focusing on Uttar Pradesh, he shifted his operations to Maharashtra after intelligence agencies started tracking his activities. An official from the Intelligence Bureau noted that Bhatti’s network, supported by the ISI, operates uniquely by concentrating on recruiting youth from individual states to evade security agencies.
