SRINAGAR: Security agencies have carried out a major multi-state crackdown against the Pakistan-based, ISI-backed Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN) ahead of Independence Day, detaining 253 people across 14 states and disrupting plans for subversive attacks, the Union government said on Monday.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the Modi government had “destroyed” the ISI-backed network and thwarted its plans by arresting more than 200 operatives. He said coordinated operations by Indian security forces across different locations demonstrated the government’s “zero tolerance” towards terrorism.
According to the Press Information Bureau, the coordinated operation was conducted on August 12 using a real-time intelligence-sharing system involving State Police forces. The operation resulted in 253 detentions across 14 states, with more than 80 FIRs and over 200 arrests recorded against the network cumulatively.
Uttar Pradesh accounted for the highest number of detentions at 62, followed by Haryana with 52, Delhi with 51, Punjab with 44, Rajasthan with 15, Maharashtra with eight, Uttarakhand with five, Karnataka, Gujarat and Bihar with three each, and Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala with two each.
Fresh FIRs were also registered in Delhi and Karnataka as part of the crackdown.
The Shahzad Bhatti Network is described by security agencies as a Pakistan-based terror syndicate allegedly backed by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). It has been linked to grenade, improvised explosive device (IED) and petrol bomb attacks as well as targeted killings in different parts of India.
According to the government, the network also recruited and paid local conduits to conduct reconnaissance of police, defence and religious sites and to install CCTV cameras for espionage purposes.
Security agencies recovered IEDs, grenades bearing Pakistan Ordnance Factory markings, pistols, live cartridges and CCTV cameras allegedly used for surveillance and espionage. The recoveries, the government said, confirmed the network’s cross-border links.
Cumulatively, more than 80 FIRs have been registered and over 200 arrests made against SBN operatives under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Arms Act, Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and Explosive Substances Act.
Shah said the coordinated operations had dismantled the network’s ability to carry out planned disruptions around Independence Day.
Security agencies said the government would continue coordinated operations with state police forces to dismantle the network and prevent cross-border-backed terrorist activities across the country.
