How Shahzad Bhatti’s social-media network linked operatives across states
Indian security agencies dismantled a network tied to Pakistani gangster Shahzad Bhatti, who recruited operatives via social media. Over 200 arrests followed a nationwide operation ahead of Independence Day, with ISI backing and activities spanning multiple states and cross-border links.
Key takeaways
- Bhatti used social media to recruit young men for criminal and terror-related activities.
- ISl-backed network allegedly funded, directed and expanded across multiple Indian states with cross-border links.
- NIA and police actions included mass arrests, location searches, and probing financial transactions.
What Happened
The Hindu reports that Shahzad Bhatti, described as a Pakistani gangster at the center of a nationwide counter-terror operation, functioned as a social media influencer. During a security operation ahead of Independence Day, authorities arrested more than 200 operatives connected to the Shahzad Bhatti Network, which is alleged to be backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Bhatti reportedly operates from the United Arab Emirates and posts videos on Instagram and Facebook.
Investigations indicate Bhatti shifted from petty crime to terror-related activities under ISI direction over the past year. Police say he contacted young men who interacted with his posts on social media, offering 5,000 to 10,000 rupees to place posters bearing his image in public places. These posters were intended to create fear and establish him as a gangster. Over time, the scheme reportedly evolved to recruit individuals for throwing grenades and planting explosives at sensitive sites, with payments sent directly to their bank accounts, often from central Asian countries, limiting red flags in banking channels.
Operatives were allegedly tasked with installing CCTV cameras at railway stations, air bases, and major roads, with footage relayed live to Pakistan. In one instance, Bhatti purportedly guided Punjab-based individuals on constructing a petrol bomb and an IED using online manuals. Officials say money and religious sentiment were both used to recruit and motivate people, and that ISI leveraged Bhatti’s identity to reach contacts across India. There are claims of Pakistani ISI providing pistols, ammunition, and narcotics to border-area contacts and couriers.
Related actions included June searches by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) of 18 locations across Punjab and Haryana as part of terror-gang network cases linked to Bhatti, with several suspects questioned and devices seized. In Rajasthan, Krish Rai, 20, was arrested for recording police stations and sending footage with exact locations to a Bhatti-associated user. The NIA has also charged Bhatti in connection with cases including a March 2025 grenade attack on the residence of a social media influencer in Jalandhar, and a May 2026 listing naming Bhatti among nine accused in the Sirsa case, where operatives were recruited and radicalised through social media and encrypted platforms and tasked with targeting police establishments.
Why It Matters
The case illustrates how a single individual’s social-media activity reportedly expanded into a transnational network capable of influencing and directing violent actions across multiple Indian states, with external support. It highlights alleged ISI involvement in shaping criminal-to-terror linkages, and the use of online platforms to recruit, fund, and deploy operatives who could undermine local security and public order.
Background
The network activity is described as moving from poster campaigns to more violent tasks, with financial flows and cross-border logistics noted by investigators. The operation occurred in a broader context of counter-terror efforts in which the NIA has registered multiple cases tied to Bhatti and his alleged network. The investigations span several states and involve alleged conduits from India to foreign bases used by the network's backers.
Key Facts
- Shahzad Bhatti is described as a Pakistani gangster linked to a nationwide counter-terror operation in India.
- The Shahzad Bhatti Network is said to be backed by Pakistan’s ISI.
- Over 200 operatives were arrested during the operation ahead of Independence Day.
- Bhatti operates from the United Arab Emirates and posts videos on Instagram and Facebook.
- Early activities started in Punjab and spread to 14 Indian states including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Gujarat, Bihar, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Kerala.
- NIA registered three cases involving Bhatti; 18 locations in Punjab and Haryana were searched in June.
- Payments to recruits ranged from ₹5,000 to ₹10,000; money was sent to bank accounts, with funding sources including central Asian countries.
- Operatives were allegedly asked to install CCTV cameras and relay footage to Pakistan; some cases involved guidance on constructing petrol bombs and IEDs via online manuals.
- ISl leveraged Bhatti’s identity to recruit contacts in India; ISI reportedly supplied weapons and narcotics to border-area operatives.
- Krish Rai, 20, was arrested in Rajasthan for recording police stations and sending footage to a Bhatti-associated user.
- The NIA charged Bhatti in connection with a March 2025 grenade attack in Jalandhar and named Bhatti among nine accused in the Sirsa case in May 2026.
What Happens Next
Official investigations and prosecutions related to Bhatti and the associated network are ongoing, with authorities continuing to pursue cases filed by the NIA and state police. Further action may include additional arrests, charges, or judicial proceedings as inquiries into the network’s operations and funding continue.
Sources reviewed
Project Chintan independently synthesized and analyzed information cross-checked across the sources listed above.
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