UP In The Crosshairs For Pak-Linked Digital Radicalisation

With nearly 300 detentions in the past week, central agencies and anti-terror units have carried out one of the largest nationwide crackdowns against espionage in recent years. These coordinated raids have unravelled networks that propagated radicalisation, espionage and organised crime on apps such as Instagram and YouTube, according to media reports.

Security agencies have named Pakistani gangster Shahzad Bhatti and his network as one of the accused in this indoctrination. Bhatti would regularly feature images of luxury vehicles, cash bundles and posh villas to attract the youth and radicalise them, particularly in Uttar Pradesh. Recent arrests from Rampur, Bijnor and NCR indicate that the youth of the state were allegedly being trapped by Bhatti and his associates.

Earlier, the state ATS had detained two men in their early 20s, from Meerut and Delhi who were into their early stages of indoctrination. Another resident from Rampur is suspected to have come into contact with Shahzad Bhatti and his associate Aabid Jatt.

Talking to media, UP Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Krishna said, “These are not isolated cases. Youth are first drawn in through minor criminal activities or financial inducements, and then gradually pushed towards more serious anti-national acts.”

Similar arrests were made from Bijnor and Ghaziabad with the latter giving up more than 20 suspects allegedly sharing locations and footage of sensitive locations in lieu of monetary benefits from Pakistan-based handlers. In Bijnor, the group is accused of damaging railway signalling infrastructure. Attacks on railway signalling systems, as per security agencies, can cause wide disruptions.

While security agencies are investigating digital footprints and financial transactions, coordinated raids across Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have revealed ISI handlers, operating through hybrid networks throughout northern India.