The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday carried out raids in four states including Delhi, Jharkhand, Bihar and Karnataka in connection with a money laundering probe linked to a petrol bomb attack at the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) state office in Ranchi’s Nirvanpur area in June, people familiar with the development said.
The NIA has been probing the bomb blast conspiracy since June. (File photo)
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Pakistan-backed Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN) is under the scanner for their alleged involvement in the case, the above people added.
What prompted the Enforcement Directorate to conduct raids related to the petrol bomb attack at the RSS office?
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) launched raids in connection to a money laundering probe linked to the petrol bomb attack at the RSS office in Ranchi, prompted by an ongoing investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) since June.
How is the Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN) linked to the attacks and illegal activities in India?
The Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN) is linked to the attacks as it is accused of conducting anti-India activities, including recruiting youth for terrorism, smuggling arms and explosives, and promoting violence against India's democratic structure.
Why was the Shahzad Bhatti Network designated as a terrorist organization?
The Shahzad Bhatti Network was designated as a terrorist organization due to its involvement in cross-border smuggling, recruitment for terrorism, and promoting anti-national activities that pose a serious threat to India's internal security.
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SBN was designated as a terror group by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday for its anti-India activities including cross-border smuggling of arms, explosives and narcotics and recruitment of Indian youth for terrorist activities.
The network is allegedly run by gangster-turned-terrorist Shahzad Bhatti, 45, a resident of Lahore who is currently believed to be in Dubai.
Intelligence officials said he is backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), operates from different locations and runs a well-oiled cross-border network for these activities.
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The ED officials said that they have launched a probe in the matter based on the National Investigation Agency (NIA) case. The NIA has been probing the bomb blast conspiracy since June.
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The ED officials said that they have launched a probe in the matter based on the National Investigation Agency (NIA) case. The NIA has been probing the bomb blast conspiracy since June.
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Unknown persons had hurled petrol bombs at RSS office under the Chutia police station area of Ranchi on June 16/17 night. One bomb landed on the roof of the building and caused a fire, while another fell near the entrance but no damage was done. Nobody was injured in the incident.
Two suspects, Saif Ansari and Aman Ansari, were arrested from a railway station when they were trying to flee while a third person, Sayam Sujan was caught later.
Preliminary intelligence assessment is that one of the arrested persons had stayed in Dubai for about six months during which he came in contact with the network of Shahzad Bhatti, a Pakistani gangster-terrorist and was most likely currently in touch with a handler called ‘Rana Sahab’.
Last month, the MHA said that 253 people were detained across 14 states, and over 80 first information reports (FIR) and over 200 arrests recorded against SBN as part of the ‘zero tolerance’ policy towards cross-border terrorism.
Neeraj Chauhan is a senior journalist with Hindustan Times and an investigative reporter specialising in national security, terrorism, organised crime, narcotics, corruption, financial crime and complex investigations. With over 21 years of experience across Hindustan Times, The Times of India, The Indian Express and The Pioneer, he has built deep expertise in India’s internal security and law-enforcement landscape. Neeraj has extensively covered India’s principal investigative, intelligence and security agencies, including the NIA, CBI, ED, IB, R&AW, MHA and other central security forces. His work has included deeply reported investigations into terrorism, terror financing, cross-border crime, narcotics trafficking, cybercrime, financial fraud and political and corporate corruption. He has reported on some of the most significant terror attacks and security developments in India over the past two decades, including the Delhi serial blasts, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the 2019 Pulwama terror attack and the recent Pahalgam attack. His reporting has also chronicled the rise and decline of the Indian Mujahideen, the activities and subsequent crackdown on the Popular Front of India (PFI), Islamist extremist networks, the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir, insurgencies in the Northeast and Maoist violence. Some of Neeraj’s major breaking stories are in Aryan Khan drug case, Sushant Singh Rajput suicide, interception of a 3,000-kg Afghan heroin consignment worth about ₹21,000 crore at Mundra port, Sri Lanka easter bombings, Aarushi-Hemraj murders in Noida, 2G scam, coal block allocation scam, AgustWestland VVIP chopper deal and major bank frauds and extradition cases involving Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya. His reporting is marked by an ability to cultivate sources, analyse confidential and complex documents, and follow investigations over several years—from the initial breakthrough to chargesheets, trials and international legal proceedings. He specialises in making complicated security and investigative developments accessible while examining their wider implications for governance and public policy. A Chevening South Asia Journalism Programme Fellow at the University of Westminster, Neeraj also spent time at the Financial Times as part of the fellowship. He was also a Robert Bosch Media Ambassadors India-Germany Fellow, studying at the University of Tübingen and working with Der Tagesspiegel in Berlin. He has previously taught investigative journalism and crime reporting as a guest faculty member at the Times School of Journalism. Over more than two decades, Neeraj has established himself as an authoritative voice on India’s national security and investigative landscape, with his reporting closely followed by officials, investigators, lawyers, policymakers and readers seeking insight into some of the country’s most complex and consequential developments.
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