How did an UAE-based gangster built a terror network? Pakistani gangster Shahzad Bhatti, operating from the UAE, is at the center of a nationwide counter-terror probe. Arresting over 200 operatives, police say Bhatti used Instagram and Facebook to recruit youth across 14 states.
Bhatti, allegedly backed by ISI, shifted from organized crime to terror. His pitch was simple: ₹5,000-₹10,000 for putting posters, more for planting grenades or cameras near airbases. Money came from Central Asian accounts to avoid detection. Operatives were guided via video calls to make IEDs.
The NIA says Bhatti’s network was behind the Sirsa police station blast in Nov 2025 and Ambala car-bomb attack in Jan 2026. Recruits were mostly poorly educated, economically weak youth from Punjab and UP. Many were lured through promises of Gulf jobs or debt relief.
Police describe a “gig economy of terror”. Tasks were broken into small assignments — reconnaissance, poster pasting, logistics — so no single recruit knew the full plan. Footage of attacks was live-streamed to Pakistan.
Bhatti also leveraged a rivalry with jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi to build followers. This mix of crime, ideology and social media makes him a new kind of threat.
The case exposes gaps in cyber monitoring and financial tracking. It also shows how foreign agencies can weaponize social media. India’s response will need better digital surveillance, community policing, and economic alternatives for vulnerable youth.