14 states, 253 detained: Crackdown on Shahzad Bhatti network ahead of I-Day

Ahead of India's Independence Day, security forces conducted a wide-ranging crackdown on an alleged network linked to Shahzad Bhatti, detaining 253 individuals across 14 states, according to officials. The operation, carried out on August 12 and coordinated with state police forces, aimed to thwart potential subversive attacks and prevent alleged disruptions around the national holiday.

The recovery of explosives, firearms, surveillance equipment, and other incriminating materials suggests direct cross-border ties to Pakistan, with officials claiming the network was dismantled based on direct evidence of IEDs, grenades bearing markings from the Pakistan Ordnance Factory, pistols, live cartridges, and CCTV cameras potentially used for espionage.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced the arrest of over 200 operatives, lauding the Modi government's efforts to eliminate the ISI-backed terror group, Shahzad Bhatti Network, ahead of Independence Day. "India's zero-tolerance towards terrorism was upheld as we ripped apart this network," Shah stated in a post on X. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) spokesperson elaborated that the coordinated operation aimed to thwart alleged SBN-linked disruptions and subversive attacks, leading to fresh FIRs in Delhi, Karnataka, and several other states.

In total, more than 80 FIRs and more than 200 arrests were recorded against SBN members and their associates under various anti-terrorism and arms laws.

The network, allegedly operating from Pakistan, is accused of involvement in grenade, improvised explosive device (IED), and petrol bomb attacks, targeted killings, and surveillance of sensitive locations. Bhatti, believed to travel between Dubai and Pakistan, faces accusations of bomb-making, supplying illegal arms, and material to India, the US, Canada, and being connected with the March 2025 grenade attack at the residence of YouTuber Rozer Sandhu in Punjab.

He is also linked to a threat made against actor Mithun Chakraborty in November 2024 over remarks perceived as disparaging towards Muslims. Security agencies emphasized that the crackdown against the Bhatti network would continue nationwide to counter cross-border terrorism.