Delhi Police bust Pakistan-backed terror syndicate, seven held

Delhi Police said its Special Cell busted a Pakistan-backed international terrorist crime syndicate run by gangster-turned-terrorist Shahzad Bhatti and his associate Ajmal Gujjar. Police arrested seven persons involved in illegal smuggling of arms, ammunition and narcotics from Pakistan to Delhi-NCR.

Police said the network operated under the auspices of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and used individuals from India to further its terrorist activities. Those arrested include residents of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab with previous criminal records. They were in direct contact with administrators in Pakistan.

Narra Chaitanya, DCP, Crime, said: “The timely intervention of the Special Cell not only disrupted the activities of this organized module but also prevented many planned terrorist incidents, dealing a significant blow to the ISI-backed proxy war being waged through crime-terror networks.”

Police recovered five semi-automatic pistols, 41 live cartridges, seven phones containing incriminating chats and voice notes linked to Bhatti and Gujjar, a vehicle and details of several bank accounts used to transfer proceeds from the sale of narcotics and illegal arms.

The module came to light in mid-May when the Special Cell received intelligence that Bhatti and Gujjar, acting on the orders of the ISI, were planning attacks in Delhi-NCR and recruiting youths through social media.

Acting on information received, police arrested Mohit alias Yogi, a resident of Ghaziabad’s Loni, from Yamuna Vihar. An unlicensed gun, four live bullets and a phone containing conversations with Gujjar were seized from the suspect.

During interrogation, Mohit revealed that he, along with Anas Tyagi, Arif alias Pradhan and Karanveer Singh, were recruited by Bhatti and Gujjar to facilitate the smuggling and distribution of heroin, illegal arms and ammunition smuggled from Pakistan through drones in Punjab.

Tyagi told the police that Bhatti and Gujjar tasked the group to carry out reconnaissance in public places, sensitive establishments and some people in Delhi-NCR and Haryana. Photos and videos of these locations have been sent to officers in Pakistan for operational planning, police said.

Investigators revealed that Arif had purchased a Zigana gun from Gujjar and the group was smuggling narcotics from Punjab using precise delivery methods. The investigation uncovered links between Tyagi and jailed gangster Deepak Agrola, who was introduced to Gujjar for supplying illegal weapons through an associate named Jatan.

Police said the organization used social media, encrypted messaging platforms, hawala channels and anonymous accounts for recruitment, financing and logistics. Police said the arrests prevented several terror incidents planned in Delhi-NCR. The investigation is ongoing to identify and arrest other members of the union.