Raids at 102 Locations | 111 Suspects Detained | Digital Devices Seized | Transborder Syndicate Busted
By Anita shukla, senior correspondent
MUMBAI: in a massive overnight operation, the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Maharashtra has dismantled a major transborder network acting on instructions from a notorious criminal, Shahzad Bhatti, who operates under the guidance of Pakistani intelligence agencies and ISIS. The coordinated raids, which commenced Thursday night and lasted until Friday morning, spanned 102 locations across the state. A total of 58 ATS teams simultaneously struck targets in Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Kurla, Bandra, Jogeshwari, Mira Road, Bhayandar, Sangli, Satara, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and several districts of Vidarbha, detaining 111 individuals for questioning.
Plot to Activate Sleeper Cells via Social Media
According to investigative agencies, Shahzad Bhatti, along with his key accomplices—Abid Jat (alias Abid Chhaal), Ajmal Gujjar, Hammad Memon, Rana Hunain, and Ashraf Bashir Alam was actively plotting to establish and activate sleeper cells across India. The syndicate employed highly sophisticated, modern operational methods. Using fake profiles on mainstream social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, and WhatsApp, the handlers targeted Indian youth. The ATS seized the mobile phones of all suspects to retrieve data from these platforms. The recovered call detail records (CDRs) and digital footprints have been forwarded for advanced forensic analysis to map out the network.
Youth Lured with Financial Baits and Radical Subversion
The investigation revealed a sinister pattern of recruitment. Bhatti and his India-based associates targeted unemployed and financially vulnerable youth. By exploiting sensitive religious issues, they sought to incite communal discord and resentment among young people. Once trapped, these individuals were lured with large sums of money and coerced into executing illegal operations, including narcotics trafficking, illegal weapons supply, and gathering classified tactical information.
REGIONAL CRACKDOWN DETAILS
10 Youth Detained in Vidarbha; Mobile Chats and Digital Transactions Under Scrutiny
The Nagpur unit of the ATS launched simultaneous operations across six districts of Vidarbha—Nagpur, Bhandara, Gondia, Gadchiroli, Wardha, and Yavatmal detaining 10 youth suspected of being in direct contact with the notorious Pakistani influencer-gangster Shahzad Bhatti. Authorities are meticulously verifying their mobile phones, social media activities, chat histories, call records, and financial transactions. Investigators are establishing whether these individuals were part of an organized terror network or if their interactions were confined strictly to social media.
One Picked Up from Wardha, Three Detained in Chandrapur
In a targeted dawn operation around 6:00 AM, an ATS team apprehended one individual from Deoli taluka in Wardha district, who is reliably understood to be a key link in the operation. Concurrently, the ATS detained three individuals from Durgapur and Ghugus in the Chandrapur district. Following an intense preliminary interrogation, the three suspects from Chandrapur were released; however, the mobile phone of one suspect has been officially seized for deeper forensic investigation.
