ISI-backed terror group Shahzad Bhatti Network was destroyed before Independence Day, with security forces thwarting its plans for subversive attacks, Union home minister Amit Shah said on Monday.
Shah said more than 200 operatives of the network had been arrested through coordinated operations across 14 states. 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.
“Modi govt 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,” Shah said in a post on X. Improvised explosive devices (IEDs), grenades bearing Pakistan Ordnance Factory markings, pistols, live cartridges, and CCTV cameras used for espionage were recovered from the “ISI-funded” group, the Union home minister said, adding that the network was involved in “several terrorist activities.”
Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN), a Pakistan-based, ISI-backed terror syndicate linked to grenade, IED and petrol bomb attacks and targeted killings across India, the press release stated. The ministry said more than 80 FIRs and over 200 arrests had been recorded against the Shahzad Bhatti Network “as part of the ‘zero tolerance’ policy towards cross-border terrorism.
In a press release on Monday, the ministry of home affairs said the terror syndicate was busted in a “major multi-state crackdown”, with 253 people detained across 14 states. It said the terror group had been paying “local conduits to recce police, defence and religious sites, and to install CCTV cameras for espionage. It said that a coordinated operation was carried out on August 12using a real-time intelligence-sharing system with State Police forces to counter “SBN-linked disruptions. “It led to 253 detentions across 14 states — 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, J&K and Kerala (2 each) — with fresh FIRs registered in Delhi and Karnataka,” the ministry of home affairs said.
