NEW DELHI: More than 200 operatives of the Pakistan-based and ISI-backed Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN) were arrested in coordinated raids across 14 states ahead of Independence Day, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday. More than 80 FIRs have been registered in connection with the arrests.
Shah said the operation had dismantled the terror network and foiled plans to carry out “subversive attacks” around August 15. In a post on X, he described the action as an example of the Modi government’s “zero-tolerance” policy towards terrorism.
According to a Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) statement, the multi-state operation was conducted on August 12 using a real-time intelligence-sharing mechanism involving central agencies and state police forces.
“More than 200 arrests were made across Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Gujarat, Bihar, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala,” it said.
“Uttar Pradesh accounted for the highest number of arrests at 62, followed by Haryana with 52, Delhi with 51 and Punjab with 44. Rajasthan recorded 15 arrests, Maharashtra eight and Uttarakhand five. Karnataka, Gujarat and Bihar reported three arrests each, while Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala reported two each,” the MHA said.
Fresh FIRs were also registered in Delhi and Karnataka. The MHA said more than 80 FIRs and over 200 arrests had cumulatively been recorded against SBN members and associates under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Arms Act, Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and Explosive Substances Act.
“Security agencies recovered improvised explosive devices (IEDs), grenades bearing Pakistan Ordnance Factory markings, pistols and live ammunition during the operation. CCTV cameras allegedly used for surveillance and espionage were also seized,” a senior MHA official said. He added that the recovery of ordnance bearing Pakistani markings pointed to the network’s cross-border links.
The MHA described the SBN as a Pakistan-based terror syndicate allegedly involved in grenade, IED and petrol-bomb attacks and targeted killings in India. Investigators have accused the network of recruiting and paying local conduits to conduct reconnaissance of police, defence and religious installations and install CCTV cameras for surveillance.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is probing several cases allegedly linked to SBN chief Shahzad Bhatti, including the March 2025 grenade attack at the Jalandhar residence of social media influencer Roger Sandhu. The NIA named Bhatti as an absconder, along with another accused, in its April 2026 chargesheet in the case.
Investigators have also linked Bhatti to the November 2025 explosion at the Women Police Station in Sirsa and the January 2026 car-bomb blast at the Baldev Nagar police station in Ambala, both in Haryana.
In the Sirsa case, the NIA named nine people in its chargesheet in May, including Bhatti and Pakistan-based handler Sohail Ahmad alias Sohail Baloch. In the Ambala case, one arrested accused was found to have been in contact with Bhatti.
Shah said the coordinated crackdown demonstrated the security forces’ resolve to dismantle terror networks and prevent cross-border groups from disrupting peace across the country.