Pakistan-based Shahzad Bhatti emerges as key figure in India’s anti-terror investigations

Srinagar: Operating from Pakistan and shielded by a complex network of criminal and extremist contacts, gangster Shahzad Bhatti has emerged as a key figure in several investigations linked to terror plots, organised crime, and online radicalisation of youth in India.

Director General of Police (DGP) Jammu and Kashmir, Nalin Prabhat, issued a direct warning to the ISIS-linked operative Shahzad Bhatti, accusing him of masterminding cross-border narco-terror operations aimed at reviving terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of India.

“We will hunt and hound you wherever you are,” the DGP said, specifically naming Shehzad Bhatti during the address.

According to Jammu and Kashmir Police, Bhatti has emerged as one of the key kingpins behind active narco-terror activities in the Union Territory. Indian security agencies, including the National Investigation Agency (NIA), have accused Bhatti of running an international narcotics smuggling and arms trafficking network linked to Pakistan’s ISI, with operational links extending to Pakistan and Dubai.

“We are focusing on combating Pakistan-sponsored narco-terrorism, J&K police have paid equal attention to the menace of narco-terrorism. A warning to the Pakistani based Shahzad Bhatti, who is ISI’s associate and partner and is pumping narcotics in India: we will hunt and hound you and your associates and decimate your evil infrastructure,” said Nalin Prabhat, DGP J&K Police.

Security agencies claim Bhatti functions as more than just a gangster. Investigators allege he acts as a conduit between criminal syndicates and extremist operatives, using social media platforms and encrypted communication channels to expand his reach across multiple Indian states.

According to Delhi Police Special Cell officials, operatives allegedly connected to Bhatti were recently planning attacks in the Delhi-NCR region. Investigators say the plans included possible grenade attacks, targeted killings, and illegal arms movement. The allegations are currently under investigation.

Authorities have also linked Bhatti to a relatively new outfit called ‘Tehreek-e-Taliban Hindustan (TTH)’. Agencies claim he played a role in circulating propaganda material and coordinating activities linked to the group, although officials have not publicly disclosed the full extent of evidence gathered so far.

What has particularly concerned investigators is the use of social media as a recruitment tool. Officials say Bhatti and his associates used platforms such as Instagram and WhatsApp to identify, contact, and influence young individuals in different parts of India. Arrests made in Punjab, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana are reportedly tied to the networks investigators believe were operating under his guidance.

Security officials further allege that the network stretched into arms smuggling and narco-terror financing, with links extending to criminal syndicates operating out of Pakistan and Dubai. Agencies are now examining whether these operations formed part of a larger cross-border ecosystem combining organised crime with extremist activities.