Maharashtra ATS questions 57 people over alleged links with wanted Pakistani gangster

The action followed specific intelligence inputs suggesting that the suspects had been in contact with the gangster through social media platforms.

The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Wednesday carried out searches across multiple cities in the state and questioned 57 individuals over their alleged social media links with wanted Pakistani gangster Shehzad Bhatti, officials said.

Ten accused have been arrested so far. (HT File)

The action followed specific intelligence inputs suggesting that the suspects had been in contact with Bhatti through social media platforms in the recent past. Officials said the ATS has placed their cyber activity and mobile communication records under scrutiny as part of the probe.

“ATS’ action is being taken on the suspicion that Shehzad Bhatti is inciting the youth to engage in anti-national activities through social media,” an ATS officer said.

Investigators are also gathering details of the movements and activities of the 57 individuals over the past few months to ascertain whether they were involved in any unlawful activities at Bhatti’s behest.

The coordinated operation began around 8am on Wednesday and covered Mumbai, Nalasopara, Mira Road, Nagpur, Pune, Akola, Nanded, Nashik, Jalgaon, Chandrapur and Bhandara.

Bhatti has been under the radar of Indian investigative agencies for several years and is also wanted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). He is an absconding and charge-sheeted accused in the NIA’s probe into the grenade attack on YouTuber Roger Sandhu’s house in Raipur Rasulpur village in Punjab’s Jalandhar on March 16 last year.

Last month, the NIA filed a chargesheet against Bhatti and an Indian accused, DP Singh alias Deepan Rana, for their alleged roles in orchestrating the grenade attack on Sandhu’s residence. Bhatti was named an absconder in the case.

According to the NIA, the probe revealed that Bhatti allegedly coordinated the attack from abroad as part of a wider terror conspiracy involving a network of terror modules engaged in targeted killings, recruitment and the smuggling of arms and ammunition into India.

Investigators alleged that Bhatti used encrypted communication channels to direct various individuals involved in the attack, while Rana acted as a key local facilitator and allegedly provided logistical support to the attackers.

Ten accused have been arrested so far, while seven others, including Bhatti, remain absconding.

Officials said the NIA is continuing its investigation to trace the absconders and dismantle other terror modules linked to the larger conspiracy behind the grenade attack.