Jharsuguda-Union Home Minister Amit Shah tweets that Indian security agencies have successfully dismantled a massive, cross-border terror module known as the Shahzad Bhatti Network. Supported directly by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the module was plotting widespread, high-intensity strikes across the country designed to mirror the scale of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. In a meticulously coordinated, multi-state operation launched on August 12 by central intelligence agencies and state police forces, authorities executed a pre-emptive sweep across 14 states. Security forces detained 253 individuals and formally arrested over 200 operatives linked to the network. The bulk of the crackdowns centered on northern states, resulting in 62 arrests from Uttar Pradesh, 52 from Haryana, 51 from Delhi, and 44 from Punjab. Law enforcement agencies registered more than 80 First Information Reports (FIRs) under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).The network—masterminded by Shahzad Bhatti, a former gangster turned Pakistan-based terror handler—specifically aimed to launch its offensive around Independence Day to maximise casualties and panic. Raids yielded substantial caches of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), hand grenades, pistols, and live cartridges. Investigators confirmed that several seized hand grenades explicitly bore markings from Pakistan Ordnance Factories. We praised the seamless execution of the real-time intelligence-sharing mechanism that enabled forces to intercept the threat. Commentators and security experts have likened the quiet efficiency of India’s intelligence network to world-class goalkeeping; while public focus often defaults to the security failures that lead to attacks, the peace citizens enjoy is a direct result of the hundreds of catastrophic “goals” these agencies successfully block behind the scenes.
