Shehzad Bhatti, previously a social media influencer, has been identified as the latest operative for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in India. Tasked with recruiting Indian youth for various illicit activities, including drug smuggling and targeted killings, Bhatti has been operating this network for months, shifting focus between states to avoid detection.
Bhatti’s recruitment strategy involves targeting one state at a time, moving operations when security agencies close in. Initially concentrating on Uttar Pradesh, he later shifted to Maharashtra. Officials note that Bhatti’s network, supported by ISI, strategically recruits youth from specific states to evade security scrutiny.
Recruited by ISI, Bhatti has been engaging North Indian youth over the past six months, enticing them with payments as low as Rs 5,000 for undisclosed tasks. The network avoids revealing terror-related intentions to recruits, instead appealing to unemployed youth with promises of easy money for assigned duties like narcotics smuggling and information gathering.
Officials reveal that Bhatti’s approach involves gradually escalating tasks for recruits, starting with minor assignments to test reliability. By targeting financially vulnerable individuals like biryani sellers and moneylenders, Bhatti builds a network across states, constantly shifting locations to evade law enforcement.
