The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Saturday conducted simultaneous searches in 10 districts as part of a major crackdown on the alleged local network of Pakistan-based gangster-turned-terrorist Shahzad Bhatti, officials said.
A senior police official confirmed that ATS teams searched the premises of the suspects and seized digital devices, documents and other material. Security agencies detained 253 people across 14 states in August, including 62 in Uttar Pradesh, 52 in Haryana, 51 in Delhi and 44 in Punjab, according to officials. The Centre later said more than 80 FIRs had been registered and over 200 people arrested in cases involving SBN members.
Investigators are examining the suspects’ alleged financial, communication and logistical links with Bhatti and are trying to identify other members of the network, officials said.
Earlier, investigations by the UP Police had alleged that Pakistan-based handlers used social media platforms to contact young Indians, offering them money or jobs before allegedly drawing some of them into criminal activities, including threats, extortion, arson and petrol-bomb attacks.
