Delhi Police Special Cell has busted a Pakistan-backed international terror-crime syndicate allegedly operated by gangster-turned-terrorist Shahzad Bhatti and Ajmal Gujjar. Delhi Police said that the module was involved in smuggling illegal arms, ammunition and narcotic substances from Pakistan through Punjab into Delhi-NCR.
It added that seven key operatives have been arrested in the operation.
During the operation, police recovered five sophisticated semi-automatic pistols, 41 live cartridges, seven mobile phones containing incriminating chats and voice notes of Shahzad Bhatti and Ajmal Gujjar, and a vehicle used by the syndicate. Details of multiple bank accounts allegedly used for routing proceeds from the illegal trade were also seized. The Police said that several planned terror incidents in Delhi-NCR have been successfully thwarted through this operation.
According to Delhi Police, intelligence inputs indicated that Shahzad Bhatti, allegedly acting under the patronage of Pakistan’s ISI, was planning attacks in Delhi-NCR through youths recruited via social media. Acting on the information, Special Cell apprehended a resident of Loni, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh and subsequently uncovered the wider network.
Investigations revealed that the accused were allegedly involved in smuggling arms and narcotics, conducting reconnaissance of potential targets and sharing photographs and videos with handlers based in Pakistan. The network used encrypted communication platforms, dead-drop delivery systems and hawala channels to evade detection.
Further investigations are underway to identify other members of the network and dismantle the remaining components of the cross-border terror-crime syndicate. Efforts are underway to apprehend absconding accused persons and identify the middlemen, suppliers and recipients involved in the cross-border smuggling of illegal weapons and narcotic substances from Pakistan.
