Delhi police busts Pakistan-backed terror network; 7 held, pistols and drugs seized

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Jun 17, 2026: The Special Cell’s Eastern Range unit of the Delhi Police busted an ISI-sponsored international terror module on Tuesday, arresting seven individuals linked to a Pakistan-based criminal-terror network operating under the command of gangster-turned-terrorist Shahzad Bhatti and his associate Ajmal Gujjar.

The arrests thwarted multiple planned terror incidents across Delhi-NCR, dealing a significant blow to what police described as ISI-directed proxy warfare conducted through criminal networks inside India.

Intelligence inputs received by the Special Cell in mid-May 2026 indicated that Bhatti, acting under the patronage and guidance of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence, was coordinating with Gujjar to plan attacks in Delhi-NCR through youths recruited via social media.

Acting on this, police apprehended Mohit, a resident of Loni, Ghaziabad, near the Bhagirath Water Treatment Plant in Yamuna Vihar, Delhi. One illegal pistol, four live cartridges, and a mobile phone containing incriminating chats with Ajmal Gujjar were recovered from him.

Interrogation of Mohit revealed that Bhatti and Gujjar had recruited him and three associates, Anas, Arif, and Karan, to facilitate the smuggling and distribution of narcotics and illegal arms trafficked from Pakistan through drone deliveries for supply across Delhi-NCR.

During the full operation, police recovered five pistols, 41 live cartridges, seven mobile phones, a Scorpio vehicle used by the syndicate, and details of multiple bank accounts allegedly used to transfer proceeds from the sale of narcotics and illegal arms.

Interrogation of accused Anas disclosed that Bhatti and Gujjar had directed members of the module to conduct reconnaissance of potential targets, including public places, with the stated objective of creating fear and disturbing communal harmony. Photographs and videos of identified targets in Delhi, Ghaziabad, and surrounding areas were transmitted to handlers in Pakistan for operational planning.

The network’s modus operandi was built on deliberate layers of concealment. Bhatti and his foreign-based associates used encrypted communication applications, disposable mobile numbers, anonymous social media accounts, hawala channels, scanner-based financial transactions, dead-drop delivery mechanisms, and photo and video-based confirmation systems to coordinate operations while remaining physically outside Indian territory. Handlers provided instructions on reconnaissance, logistics, weapons and explosives procurement, target selection, and attack execution entirely remotely.

Recruits were sourced through Instagram accounts operated by Gujjar and lured with promises of quick money and the glamour of criminal lifestyles. Accused Arif, Mohit, absconding accused Aamir, and Anas were already engaged in money-lending at exorbitant interest rates and carried illegal firearms to intimidate borrowers.

Their social media activity brought them into contact with Gujjar’s Instagram accounts, through which they established direct contact with Bhatti. Arif purchased a Jigana pistol from Gujjar for Rs 1,00,000, with payment routed through UPI scanner transactions using accounts of individuals based in Dubai and funnelled through network conduits.

The group subsequently became involved in smuggling heroin from Punjab into Delhi-NCR using a dead-drop delivery system, with Anas and Karan deputed to Punjab to facilitate the operations. In February 2026, Arif supplied narcotic substances to an associate named Happy, who was subsequently arrested by Punjab Police.

Separately, Gujjar instructed Anas to identify new customers for illegal weapons and narcotics. Anas, in regular contact with gangster Deepak Agrola, lodged at Mandoli jail, introduced him to Gujjar. Agrola, using a mobile phone inside the jail, which was later recovered by jail staff, used his associate Jatan to procure consignments of illegal weapons from Gujjar through Anas.

Several of the accused have prior criminal cases registered against them for murder, attempted murder, dacoity, and violations of the Arms Act and the NDPS Act. Appropriate legal action has been initiated against all arrested individuals. The Special Cell is actively working to apprehend absconding accused, identify middlemen, suppliers, and recipients involved in cross-border smuggling of weapons and narcotics from Pakistan. Investigation is ongoing, and police say further revelations regarding the full extent of the conspiracy are expected.