Shah Says Over 200 Shahzad Bhatti Network Operatives Arrested Ahead Of Independence Day

More than 200 operatives of the ISI-backed Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN) were arrested in coordinated operations across 14 states ahead of Independence Day, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday, adding that the action thwarted plans for subversive attacks.

The operations were carried out on August 12 using a real-time intelligence-sharing system with state police forces, with security agencies recovering IEDs, grenades bearing Pakistan Ordnance Factory markings, pistols, live cartridges and CCTV cameras allegedly used for espionage. The government said the SBN is a Pakistan-based terror syndicate linked to attacks and targeted killings across India.

In a message on 'X', Shah 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."

"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.

According to PTI, the government said the Shahzad Bhatti Network was involved in grenade, IED and petrol bomb attacks as well as targeted killings across India. The network also allegedly paid local conduits to recce police, defence and religious sites and install CCTV cameras for espionage.

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, Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala (2 each). Fresh FIRs were registered in Delhi and Karnataka.

PTI reported that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is probing multiple cases against Bhatti, including his alleged link to the March 2025 grenade attack at the residence of social media influencer Roger Sandhu in Jalandhar, Punjab. In April 2026, the NIA chargesheeted Bhatti as an absconder along with one other accused in the case.

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

In the Sirsa case, the NIA chargesheeted nine individuals, including Bhatti and another Pakistan-based handler, Sohail Ahmad alias Sohail Baloch, in May 2026. The Baldev Nagar police station case relates to a car bomb explosion in which one arrested accused was found to have been in contact with Bhatti.

"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," the government statement said.

According to PTI, the government said the August 12 operation was conducted to counter SBN-linked disruptions planned around Independence Day and that the recoveries of IEDs and grenades bearing Pakistan Ordnance Factory markings confirmed 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)