3 min readJul 14, 2026 03:41 PM IST
First published on: Jul 14, 2026 at 03:41 PM IST
Maharashtra’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) searched 65 places in Pune and surrounding areas in the district on Tuesday, targeting people accused of having online links with an alleged Pakistan-based network financed by that country’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency to radicalise and recruit Indians and facilitate terrorism.
ATS officials said the action was a continuation of nearly 200 searches conducted by the agency across Maharashtra three days ago. “The 200 locations searched earlier were not from Pune, while all 65 places raided on Tuesday are from Pune district and the Pune Metropolitan Region,” an officer said, adding that the Pune city, Pimpri Chinchwad, and Pune rural police were also part of the operation.
According to ATS officials, Pakistani online handlers identified and tapped people expressing resentment against Indian authorities or reacting to incidents in the country. Officials said such people are initially assigned minor tasks as a means of testing and indoctrination. Those who continue to engage are subsequently entrusted with larger assignments to create problems that could pose a wider security threat.
An ATS officer said the network was linked to Pakistan-based gangsters Shahzad Bhatti, Amjal Gujjar, Abit Jat, Rana Husen, Abdul Memon, Munna Jhingada, Farooq Khokar, Zafar Supari, Shani Tiger, Sheikh Salman, Sarfaraz Dongar alias Jorasingh, and Abu Musa, “who allegedly use social media platforms to target and recruit vulnerable youths in India”.
Shahzad Bhatti’s network and Lawrence Bishnoi link
In May this year, the ATS carried out coordinated searches at around 40 locations across the state, questioning more than 55 individuals who were allegedly in contact online with social media accounts linked to Shahzad Bhatti’s network. In Pune, at least four people from Chakan, Warje, and Shirur were questioned over their social media activity. While no FIRs were registered against them, their mobile phones were seized for further investigation.
Officials also pointed to the Delhi Police Special Cell’s action last month, when it arrested nine people from Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, and Jammu and Kashmir for their alleged links to Bhatti’s network. Investigators claimed the accused were planning attacks on targets including a historic temple in Delhi and a military installation in Haryana, besides allegedly plotting to use drones to drop drugs and weapons in border areas of Punjab.
Bhatti had figured in investigations into the March 2024 grenade attack near the residence of YouTuber Rozer Sandhu in Jalandhar. He was also allegedly known to have close ties with Zeeshan Akhtar, a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and an accused in the October 2024 murder of former minister Baba Siddique in Mumbai. According to officials, the relationship is believed to have soured after Bishnoi made anti-Pakistan statements following the Pahalgam terrorist attack last year.
According to the ATS, Pakistani gangsters like Shahzad Bhatti (in picture) are using social media to target and recruit vulnerable Indians. (Photo by special arrangement) 
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