New Delhi/Gwalior: A criminal module linked to Pakistan-based gangster-turned-terrorist and alleged ISI proxy Shahzad Bhatti was busted by the Delhi Police Special Cell, which arrested two operatives from Madhya Pradesh.
The duo were allegedly planning terror-style shootings at hotels and clubs in Delhi-NCR, the police said, as reported by The Indian Express.
The accused have been identified as Rajveer (21), a resident of Dabra in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior district, and Vivek Banjara (19), also from Gwalior, Praveen Tripathi, DC (Special Cell), Delhi Police, said.
The two were recruited through social media and tasked with executing targeted shootings and grenade attacks at crowded locations, including hotels and clubs, Tripathi said.
“Vivek was first apprehended on April 16 from Dabra following human intelligence inputs. During sustained questioning, he disclosed critical details that led to the arrest of the main accused, Rajveer, on April 18 from Delhi’s Sarai Kale Khan. Rajveer was allegedly preparing to open fire at a prominent hotel in Delhi-NCR, acting on instructions from his handlers directed by Bhatti,” the DCP said.
The police said that a pistol and six live cartridges were recovered from Rajveer at the time of his arrest. Mobile phones, allegedly containing incriminating videos and voice messages, were also seized, providing further evidence of the conspiracy.
Investigations have revealed that Rajveer had been in direct contact with an associate of Bhatti, known as ‘Rana Bhai’, who facilitated his recruitment. Rajveer later introduced Vivek to the network.
The duo allegedly attempted to procure weapons from Ahmedabad, though that plan failed, the police claimed. Subsequently, on April 9, both accused traveled to Amritsar, where they received firearms, ammunition, and cash.
“Rajveer allegedly attempted to carry out a shooting at a club in Zirakpur that had received extortion threats, but the weapon malfunctioned. The incident was recorded on video to be sent to their handler,” the officer said
Rajveer later procured another weapon from Punjab and returned to Delhi with plans for another attack before being intercepted.
Bhatti is said to be closely associated with Balochistan-based gangster Farooq Khokhar. He is allegedly operating from Dubai at the moment.
He was allegedly involved in last year’s grenade attack outside the City Police Station in Punjab’s Gurdaspur. Bhatti has allegedly been involved in other criminal activities as well, including bomb-making and the supply of illegal arms and ammunition to India, Dubai, the US, and Canada.
Bhatti and his associates run a structured terror module that allegedly uses monetary incentives, remote instructions, and disposable foot soldiers to carry out grenade attacks in public places in India, security agencies said.
The module targets young men through social media – they select potential recruits by scanning their social media profiles and lure them with money. Handlers remotely control the entire operation, including reconnaissance, cash payments, logistics, and target selection, officials said.
Bhatti’s name popped up last year after a purported 19-second video on social media showed jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi speaking to him on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha in June 2024. Later, the relationship between both the gangsters soured.
Bhatti allegedly threatened Bollywood actor Mithun Chakraborty in November 2024, over the latter’s purported comment against the Muslim community and advised him to apologise within 10-15 days.
Earlier that year, he was allegedly involved in orchestrating a grenade attack at the residence of YouTuber Rozer Sandhu in Jalandhar, Punjab. Bhatti later posted a video on Instagram claiming responsibility.
