Radicalising, recruiting youth: Pakistani gangster ‘trying to expand network in India’

More than a dozen FIRs have been registered against Bhatti, aged around 45, in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttarakhand for allegedly recruiting youths to carry out terror activities. Against the backdrop of his expanding network in India, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has also registered two FIRs against him, The Indian Express has learnt. A majority of these FIRs are having the sections of the BNS including Section 152 (acts endangering sovereignty, unity and integrity of India).

Investigators suspect that Bhatti, who is a resident of Lahore, is operating from Dubai, but he keeps shuttling between different countries in the Middle East and Pakistan, said sources, adding that he is wanted by the security agencies in India. “However, Bhatti is neither an Indian citizen nor has he ever visited India. For extradition, agencies can coordinate with their counterparts in the countries from where he is operating through diplomatic channels to bring him to India, as was done in the cases of Tahawwur Rana and David Coleman Headley for their roles in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks,” said an officer.

Another officer said, “To control his activities of recruiting Indian youth through social media, agencies have taken down his accounts and other accounts linked to him. However, several new social media accounts keep mushrooming, continuing to lure young people.”

Among the most recent cases linked to him, two young men were arrested from Madhya Pradesh in April. They were allegedly tasked to carry out grenade attack and firing outside the famous restaurants and crowded places in Delhi-NCR. Recently, the Delhi Police’s Special Cell arrested nine people from UP, MP, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Gujarat for alleged links with him. They were reportedly planning attacks on a historic temple in the Capital, a well-known eatery on the Delhi–Sonipat highway, and a military camp in Haryana, sources said.

All these arrests have taken place through interstate coordination between various state police forces. Bhatti, said officers, has claimed in his social media videos that he has a gang of 200–300 youths spread across 16–17 countries around the world.

Sources said he may also be allegedly involved in two low-intensity blasts near BSF headquarters and Amritsar Cantt on May 5.

The Delhi Police said Bhatti and his associates target young Indians through social media. They select potential recruits by scanning their social media profiles and lure them with money.

Handlers remotely control the entire operation, including reconnaissance, cash payments, logistics, and target selection. The structured terror module allegedly relies on monetary incentives, remote instructions, and disposable foot soldiers to carry out grenade attacks in public places in India, according to sources.

Police said the 2024 Gurdaspur attack was allegedly executed on Bhatti’s directions, who coordinates using encrypted communication platforms.

‘Active on social media’

Social media posts allegedly put up by him or related to him have also been scrutinised as part of the probes. In 2024, a purported 19-second video surfaced on social media that showed Lawrence Bishnoi speaking to him on the occasion of Eid. In March 2024, he posted a video on Instagram, claiming responsibility at the residence of YouTuber Rozer Sandhu in Jalandhar.

In records available with Indian security agencies as a gangster with links to Rawalpindi-based politician and businessman Farukh Khokhar. Officials said that both Bhatti and Khokar are very active on social media and often speak about their religion and make anti-India comments.

The relationship between Bhatti and Lawrence, however, allegedly soured after the Pahalgam terror attack in April, sources said.

A purported social media post by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang claimed that they would enter Pakistan to eliminate those responsible for killing innocent people in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam last year. In response, Bhatti allegedly released a video on his Instagram account, claiming that Lawrence could not even kill a bird in any country. In the video, he also claimed that he had proof of who directed Lawrence to kill Siddiqui and Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala. He said that if anyone spoke against his country (Pakistan), they would no longer be his friend. He also dared Lawrence and his gang to come to Pakistan.

Meanwhile, officers said Bhatti has also allegedly been involved in criminal activities, including bomb-making and the supply of illegal arms and ammunition to India, Dubai, US, and Canada.