Over 200 ISI-backed Shahzad Bhatti network operatives arrested ahead of Independence Day: Amit Shah

Key points

• The anti-terror agency has further found that Bhatti had additionally masterminded the November 2025 explosion at the Women Police Station…
• In the Sirsa case, the NIA had chargesheeted nine individuals, including Bhatti and another Pakistan-based handler Sohail Ahmad alias Sohail…
• "Cumulatively, over 80 FIRs and 200-plus arrests have been recorded against SBN under UAPA, BNS, the Arms Act, NDPS Act…
• The NIA is probing multiple cases against Bhatti, including an alleged link to the March 2025 grenade attack at the…

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said coordinated operations throughout 14 states led to the arrest of more than 200 operatives of the ISI-backed terror group Shahzad Bhatti Network ahead of Independence Day, thwarting the group’s plans to launch subversive attacks.

He said the operations reflected the country’s zero-tolerance approach towards terrorism.

Substantial recoveries, including IEDs, grenades bearing Pakistan Ordnance Factory markings, pistols, live cartridges, and CCTV cameras used for espionage, were produced from the ISI-funded group, he said.

In a message on ‘X’, the Home Minister said, “Modi government destroyed the ISI-backed terror group Shahzad Bhatti Network ahead of Independence Day and thwarted its plans for subversive attacks by arresting more than 200 operatives.”

What happened

“Indian security forces ripped apart the network by launching coordinated operations across different locations in 14 states, upholding a brilliant example of India’s zero-tolerance towards terrorism,” he said.

The network was involved in several terrorist activities, Shah stated.

According to a government statement, the Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN) is a Pakistan-based terror syndicate linked to grenade, IED and petrol bomb attacks and targeted killings throughout India.

The SBN has also been paying local conduits to recce police, defence and religious sites, and to install CCTV cameras for espionage.

The details

The NIA is probing multiple cases against Bhatti, including an alleged link to the March 2025 grenade attack at the residence of social media influencer Roger Sandhu in Jalandhar, Punjab.

Modi govt destroyed the ISI-backed terror group Shahzad Bhatti Network ahead of Independence Day and thwarted its plans for subversive attacks by arresting more than 200 operatives.

Indian security forces ripped apart the network by launching coordinated operations across…

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) August 17, 2026

In April 2026, the NIA had chargesheeted Bhatti as an absconder, and one other accused in the case.

The anti-terror agency has further found that Bhatti had additionally masterminded the November 2025 explosion at the Women Police Station, Sirsa, Haryana and the January 2026 blast at Baldev Nagar police station in Ambala, Haryana.

In the Sirsa case, the NIA had chargesheeted nine individuals, including Bhatti and another Pakistan-based handler Sohail Ahmad alias Sohail Baloch, in May 2026.

Why it matters

The Baldev Nagar police station case relates to a car bomb explosion, in which one arrested accused was found to have been in touch with Bhatti.

“To counter SBN-linked disruptions planned around Independence Day, a coordinated multi-state operation was carried out on August 12 using a real-time intelligence-sharing system with State Police forces,” the government statement stated.

Over 200 arrests were made during the operation in 14 states, including Uttar Pradesh (62), Haryana (52), Delhi (51), Punjab (44), Rajasthan (15), Maharashtra (8), Uttarakhand (5), Karnataka, Gujarat and Bihar (3 each), and Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, J&K and Kerala (2 each) with fresh FIRs registered in Delhi and Karnataka.

“Cumulatively, over 80 FIRs and 200-plus arrests have been recorded against SBN under UAPA, BNS, the Arms Act, NDPS Act and Explosive Substances Act,” it said.

Background

The statement said recoveries include IEDs and grenades bearing Pakistan Ordnance Factory markings, confirming the network’s direct cross-border links.

“Security agencies reaffirm the Government of India’s zero tolerance for cross-border terror and continued coordinated action to dismantle SBN’s networks nationwide,” it said.

(With inputs from PTI)