4 min readJul 2, 2026 02:05 PM IST
First published on: Jul 2, 2026 at 12:17 PM IST
Drones from across the border dropping weapons and drugs in Punjab, handlers in Pakistan sharing mission details over social media apps, and reconnaissance of police stations and religious places in Delhi — police said these were part of an alleged plan by operatives linked to Pakistan’s Shahzad Bhatti to open fire near VIP areas in the national capital in the coming months.
According to Delhi Police, the plot came to light after the arrest of four men, linked to cross-border terror networks operating in Punjab and Delhi, since April.
Over the last several months, Indian agencies have alleged that Bhatti is linked to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and has been attempting to expand his network in India by radicalising unemployed youth.
Indian agencies have alleged that Shahzad Bhatti is linked to Pakistan’s ISI and has been attempting to expand his network in India by radicalising unemployed youth. (Express Archive)
The operation
Senior police officers said the arrests were made during a coordinated operation across Punjab and Delhi after intelligence inputs suggested that Bhatti and his associates were allegedly planning a terror incident in Delhi-NCR. Two foreign-made pistols, nine live cartridges and five mobile phones were recovered during the operation.
Investigators said handlers had recruited youth from Punjab and arranged foreign phone numbers for them to communicate without attracting the attention of Indian security agencies.
“The investigation began after the Special Cell received specific intelligence about the network and carried out multiple raids based on technical surveillance and source inputs. The first breakthrough came with the arrest of 23-year-old Shubdeep Singh alias Vishal from Majitha Road in Amritsar. Police recovered a semi-automatic pistol, five live cartridges and two mobile phones from his possession,” said DCP Praveen Tripathi.
The ‘module’
During questioning, police said Shubdeep allegedly admitted that he was in regular contact with Pakistan-based handlers linked to the Bhatti network and had been receiving consignments of firearms and narcotics dropped across the border using drones. Investigators claimed he used foreign numbers provided by his handlers to remain in touch with them.
Acting on his disclosures, police arrested his associates: Gurjant Singh alias Rishi, 22, and Sajan Singh alias Honey, 28, from Punjab. Officers recovered a Zigana pistol, four live cartridges and two mobile phones from the duo.
Police alleged that both men were also communicating with ISI handlers through foreign numbers and received arms and narcotics smuggled from Pakistan.
Further investigation led to the arrest of 24-year-old Gaganpreet from Delhi on April 24, said police, adding that a mobile phone containing incriminating material was recovered from him.
Police claimed his Pakistani handlers had tasked him with conducting reconnaissance of police stations, police pickets and religious places in Delhi and carrying out a firing incident in the city.
Police said Shubdeep and Sajan were earlier arrested in separate NDPS cases in Punjab.
Not the first case
Senior officers said the case highlights continued attempts by Pakistan-based handlers to revive terror networks by using local recruits, encrypted foreign communication channels and cross-border drone deliveries of arms and narcotics to target security establishments in India.
These arrests come over a month after police had uncovered an alleged Pakistan ISI-underworld terror module and arrested eight persons, including a Nepali national, who were allegedly planning attacks on vital installations, security establishments and police personnel in Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh and Punjab.
Police officers said the eight arrests were made in a coordinated multi-state operation, uncovering a conspiracy allegedly hatched by the ISI, underworld operatives and Bhatti’s network.
Senior police officers said the arrests were made during a coordinated operation across Punjab and Delhi (Express photo) 
Indian agencies have alleged that Shahzad Bhatti is linked to Pakistan’s ISI and has been attempting to expand his network in India by radicalising unemployed youth. (Express Archive)
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