Coordinated raids on August 12 prevented plans by the Shahzad Bhatti Network to conduct disruptive actions around Independence Day, according to the Home Minister. In a large-scale counter-terror effort before the national holiday, agencies broke up the Pakistan-based network supported by the ISI, detaining 253 individuals across 14 states and arresting more than 200 linked operatives, Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated on Monday. A Ministry of Home Affairs statement noted the network’s involvement in grenade attacks, IED explosions, petrol bomb incidents and targeted killings nationwide. Investigators found the group had compensated local members for scouting police stations, defence sites and religious locations, as well as setting up CCTV for monitoring. Shah described the action as a key achievement against cross-border threats, noting the raids stopped the network’s intended activities near Independence Day through shared real-time intelligence between central and state forces. In a social media post, Shah highlighted the government’s strict stance against terrorism and said forces had dismantled the network in simultaneous actions across 14 states, seizing IEDs, grenades marked with Pakistan Ordnance Factory details, pistols, ammunition and surveillance cameras. Detentions occurred in Uttar Pradesh with 62, Haryana with 52, Delhi with 51, Punjab with 44, Rajasthan with 15, Maharashtra with 8 and Uttarakhand with 5. Karnataka, Gujarat and Bihar each had three, while Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala each had two. New cases were filed in Delhi and Karnataka. The ministry reported over 80 FIRs and more than 200 arrests under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Arms Act, NDPS Act and Explosive Substances Act.
