Conspiracy to form sleeper network for Pakistani handler Shahzad Bhatti exposed, three held

According to an Amar Ujala report, the police in Rajasthan's border district of Sri Ganganagar have exposed an alleged conspiracy to set up a sleeper network for Pakistani handler Shahzad Bhatti. Acting on inputs received from intelligence agencies, the Raisinghnagar police have arrested three youths. According to the police, the accused were trying to build a network for anti-national activities in border areas by engaging local youths through social media. It has come to light that 34 new members were added through this network.

Police investigation has revealed that the accused had created a group on social media in which 34 new members were added. The arrested accused have been identified as Sumit Sharma, son of Rajesh Sharma, a resident of NZP; Ganesh Nayak, son of Ramswaroop Nayak; and Nikhil Jat, son of Vinod Kumar, a resident of Gomawali. The police are now probing the contacts and roles of all 34 members included in the group. According to preliminary investigation, efforts were being made to enlist youths from border rural areas into this network by luring them.

Another serious aspect that has emerged in the investigation is that attempts were being made to connect adolescents aged 14 to 19 years to the network. The youths were being lured with hefty commissions in exchange for joining the network and bringing in new people. The police suspect that this network of Pakistani handler Shahzad Bhatti was being prepared with the help of Punjab drug traffickers. Initially, the plan to lure youths financially to join them and subsequently involve them in anti-national activities is being probed.

Superintendent of Police Harishankar stated that the three arrested youths are being interrogated. The police and intelligence agencies are keeping a watch on suspicious activities in the border areas. He said that the attempt to involve underage youth in such networks is a matter of serious concern. According to officials, the role of the arrested youths has not currently been linked to the Ramsinghpur railway track blast case. However, the situation will become clear only after deep interrogation and investigation in this regard as well.

According to police and security agencies, arrests of individuals linked to Bhatti's network—which is operated from Pakistan and stated to be ISI-backed—have taken place earlier as well in Rajasthan and surrounding areas. Following the arrest of three youths connected to the Bhatti network with two kilograms of explosives in Ambala, Jaswant alias Sonu, a resident of Hanumangarh, was nabbed. After this, Sunil alias Dholu and Krish alias Shaan were also arrested. Krish is accused of conducting a recce of the Hanumangarh Town and Raisinghnagar police stations and sending videos thereof to Shahzad Bhatti.