Shahzad Bhatti, the Pakistani gangster allegedly backed by the ISI whose terror network was dismantled in India ahead of Independence Day, has built a social media following more commonly associated with online influencers. Around 2.5 lakh people follow him on Instagram, while more than 4.5 lakh follow him on Facebook. Indian security agencies, however, allege that Bhatti was exploiting that online reach to identify young men in India and recruit them into a network involved in explosives, bomb attacks and espionage.
Bhatti, who is reportedly based in the UAE, allegedly used social media as a recruitment platform, The Hindu reported, citing a UP Police officer. He monitored people who liked or commented on his posts, contacted some of them and initially offered small sums of money for apparently simple assignments. According to the report published on Monday, one such task involved putting up posters featuring his photograph.
Investigators allege that the assignments could gradually become more dangerous. A Uttar Pradesh police officer quoted by The Hindu said Bhatti initially offered recruits between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 for putting up posters before allegedly directing some of them towards activities such as throwing grenades, planting explosives and conducting reconnaissance of sensitive locations.
His large social media audience therefore allegedly served a purpose beyond promoting his image as a gangster. It provided Bhatti with access to a wide pool of potential recruits whom he could identify, contact and assess. According to The Hindu, some young men were attracted by the prospect of earning money, while religious sentiments were allegedly exploited in certain cases. Fear and promises were also reportedly used as part of the recruitment process.
Police said recruits were allegedly instructed to install CCTV cameras near railway stations, air bases and major roads, with the footage purportedly being transmitted live to Pakistan. In one case, investigators alleged that Bhatti provided online instructions on preparing petrol bombs and IEDs.
SECURITY AGENCIES CRACK DOWN ON SHAHZAD BHATTI NETWORK
The allegations have emerged amid a major crackdown by Indian security agencies on the alleged Shahzad Bhatti Network ahead of Independence Day.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said more than 200 people linked to the alleged ISI-backed network were arrested in coordinated operations across 14 states on August 12. According to the government, the operation disrupted plans for subversive attacks and led to the recovery of IEDs, grenades carrying Pakistan Ordnance Factory markings, pistols, live ammunition, petrol bombs, CCTV equipment and SIM cards.
The arrests were carried out across Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Gujarat, Bihar, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala. The government said more than 80 FIRs and over 200 arrests have so far been recorded against the network under laws including the UAPA, BNS, Arms Act, NDPS Act and Explosive Substances Act.
The alleged network linked to Bhatti had reportedly spread across 14 states. The National Investigation Agency is investigating several cases involving him and had searched 18 locations in Punjab and Haryana in June as part of probes into terror-gangster networks connected to him.
NIA LINKS BHATTI TO MULTIPLE ATTACKS
A June 27 arrest in Rajasthan provided investigators with another alleged connection to Bhatti. Rajasthan Police arrested 20-year-old Krish Rai for allegedly recording videos of the Hanumangarh and Raisinghnagar police stations and sending the footage, along with their precise locations, to a person claiming to be Bhatti.
The NIA has also connected Bhatti to several attacks. The agency alleges that he masterminded the March 2025 grenade attack targeting the residence of social media influencer Roger Sandhu in Jalandhar. Bhatti was declared an absconder in the case in April 2026.
He has also been accused of orchestrating the November 2025 blast at the Women Police Station in Sirsa and the January 2026 car-bomb explosion at the Baldev Nagar police station in Ambala.
In the Sirsa case, the NIA named Bhatti and Pakistan-based handler Sohail Ahmad, also known as Sohail Baloch, among nine accused. The agency alleged that they recruited and radicalised operatives through social media and encrypted communication platforms.
Government sources cited by The Hindu said Bhatti had allegedly moved beyond conventional organised crime over the past year at the direction of the ISI.
His social media presence reportedly gave him access to a large pool of people, including individuals with no previous connection to organised crime. The case stands out because gangsters rarely develop a parallel public identity resembling that of social media influencers.
Pakistan has rejected the allegations. Its Foreign Office described Amit Shah’s claims linking Pakistan to the arrests as “baseless assertions” and accused India of running a “malicious campaign” against Islamabad.
The investigation into the alleged network remains underway, with agencies examining its handlers, recruits, financing mechanisms and digital connections that allegedly linked Bhatti’s social media presence with operatives operating on the ground in India.
