Amit Shah says 200-plus Shahzad Bhatti operatives held before August 15
Amit Shah says 200-plus Shahzad Bhatti operatives held before August 15
M.U.H
17/08/202638
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said more than 200 operatives of the ISI-backed Shahzad Bhatti Network were arrested ahead of Independence Day, and its plans for subversive attacks were foiled. He said coordinated operations were carried out across 14 states, in what he described as an example of India’s zero-tolerance approach towards terrorism.
Shah said substantial recoveries were made from the ISI-funded group, including IEDs, grenades bearing Pakistan Ordnance Factory markings, pistols, live cartridges and CCTV cameras used for espionage. According to a government statement, the Pakistan-based Shahzad Bhatti Network is linked to grenade, IED and petrol bomb attacks, as well as targeted killings across India.
In a post on X, Shah said, "Modi government destroyed the ISI-backed terror group Shahzad Bhatti Network ahead of Independence Day and thwarted its plans for subversive attacks by arresting more than 200 operatives." He added, "Indian security forces ripped apart the network by launching coordinated operations across different locations in 14 states, upholding a brilliant example of India’s zero-tolerance towards terrorism." Shah also said the network was involved in several terrorist activities.
The government said the network had been paying local conduits to conduct recce of police, defence and religious sites, and to install CCTV cameras for espionage. It said that to counter SBN-linked disruptions planned around Independence Day, "a coordinated multi-state operation was carried out on August 12 using a real-time intelligence-sharing system with State Police forces".
Over 200 arrests were made during the operation in 14 states, including Uttar Pradesh (62), Haryana (52), Delhi (51), Punjab (44), Rajasthan (15), Maharashtra (8), Uttarakhand (5), Karnataka, Gujarat and Bihar (3 each), and Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala (2 each). Fresh FIRs were registered in Delhi and Karnataka. The statement added, "Cumulatively, over 80 FIRs and 200-plus arrests have been recorded against SBN under UAPA, BNS, the Arms Act, NDPS Act and Explosive Substances Act."
The National Investigation Agency is probing multiple cases against Bhatti, including an alleged link to the March 2025 grenade attack at the residence of social media influencer Roger Sandhu in Jalandhar, Punjab. In April 2026, the NIA chargesheeted Bhatti as an absconder, along with one other accused in the case.
The agency has also found that Bhatti masterminded the November 2025 explosion at the Women Police Station in Sirsa, Haryana, and the January 2026 blast at Baldev Nagar police station in Ambala, Haryana. In the Sirsa case, the NIA chargesheeted nine people, including Bhatti and another Pakistan-based handler, Sohail Ahmad alias Sohail Baloch, in May 2026. In the Baldev Nagar police station case, linked to a car bomb explosion, one arrested accused was found to have been in touch with Bhatti.
The government said the recoveries included IEDs and grenades bearing Pakistan Ordnance Factory markings, which confirmed the network’s direct cross-border links. It added, "Security agencies reaffirm the Government of India’s zero tolerance for cross-border terror and continued coordinated action to dismantle SBN’s networks nationwide." In all, the operation led to more than 200 arrests, multiple recoveries and fresh cases as agencies moved to break up the network ahead of Independence Day.
