"Mega Independence Day Terror Plot Foiled!" Modi Govt Destroys ISI-Backed Shahzad Bhatti Network in 14-State Blitz, Over 200 Operatives Arrested!

In a massive nationwide counter-terror breakthrough, Indian security agencies dismantled the Pakistan-based, ISI-backed Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN) ahead of Independence Day, completely foiling a series of planned subversive strikes and targeted attacks across the country.

Announcing the operation, Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that security forces "ripped apart" the terror syndicate in coordinated multi-state raids on August 12, demonstrating the Narendra Modi government's strict "zero-tolerance" policy against cross-border terrorism.

The operation utilized a real-time intelligence-sharing mechanism connecting central agencies with state police forces. The synchronised raids led to the detention of 253 suspects across 14 states and the formal arrest of more than 200 operatives. The state-wise breakdown included 62 detentions in Uttar Pradesh, 52 in Haryana, 51 in Delhi, 44 in Punjab, 15 in Rajasthan, 8 in Maharashtra, 5 in Uttarakhand, 3 each in Karnataka, Gujarat, and Bihar, and 2 each in Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Kerala.

During the raids, security forces seized substantial caches of weaponry and surveillance hardware, including Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), pistols, live ammunition, and hand grenades bearing official Pakistan Ordnance Factory (POF) markings-confirming direct state-sponsored cross-border sponsorship. Investigators revealed that the gangster-turned-terrorist Shahzad Bhatti and his handlers had paid local conduits to conduct reconnaissance (recce) of vital police stations, defence installations, and crowded religious shrines, even secretly installing internet-connected CCTV cameras around target locations for live cross-border espionage.

Cumulatively, more than 80 First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered against network members under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Arms Act, the NDPS Act, and the Explosive Substances Act.