Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Friday said it has started questioning 102 individuals across the state who are suspected of having been in contact with Pakistani gangster Shahzad Bhatti through social media, as part of a probe into alleged anti-national activities. The questioning is being carried out by 58 ATS teams across its 14 regional units in Maharashtra.
The action has been initiated following suspicions that Bhatti had been using social media platforms to influence and recruit Indian youth for anti-national activities. The preliminary investigation and information received from various agencies, Bhatti and his associates, Abid Jat alias Abid Chal, Ajmal Gujar, Hammad Memon, Rana Hunain, and Ashraf Bashir Alam, among others, allegedly used fake or multiple accounts on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, and WhatsApp to contact Indian youth.
ATS said the accused allegedly exploited religious and socially sensitive issues to create resentment among young people and radicalise them. They are also suspected of luring unemployed and economically vulnerable youth with financial inducements to involve them in anti-national and anti-social activities.
According to the investigation, the network was also allegedly involved in collecting confidential information, facilitating drug trafficking, transporting illegal weapons, and creating sleeper cells or local agents to carry out activities detrimental to national security.
ATS appealed to citizens, particularly young people, to avoid interacting with unknown or suspicious individuals on social media and urged parents to closely monitor their children's online activities. It also advised people not to fall for online offers promising easy money or illegal work, warning that even seemingly minor tasks assigned by strangers could be part of a larger terrorist conspiracy. The agency further urged people not to believe or circulate rumours or social media content that could threaten national integrity or disturb law and order.
Maharashtra Police and the Maharashtra ATS reiterated their commitment to maintaining peace, security and communal harmony in the state, warning that strict action would be taken against anyone involved in activities threatening national security.
Earlier, Maharashtra ATS said it had identified 112 people across the state who had allegedly come in contact with Bhatti through social media, further iforming that these individuals were being traced. ATS verified their whereabouts and questioned them as part of the inquiry.
ATS had also conducted searches at multiple locations across the state, including Mumbai, Thane, Kurla, Bandra, Jogeshwari, Navi Mumbai, Mira Road, Bhayandar, Sangli, Satara and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, in connection with the probe. The state-wide operation comes days after the Delhi Police Special Cell busted two alleged modules linked to Pakistan-based alleged ISI handler Shahzad Bhatti and arrested six suspected operatives from Delhi and Punjab.
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