Delhi Police have said that their Special Cell busted a Pakistan-backed international terror-crime syndicate operated by gangster-turned-terrorist Shahzad Bhatti and his associate Ajmal Gujjar. Police arrested seven operatives involved in smuggling illegal arms, ammunition and narcotics from Pakistan into Delhi-NCR.

Police said the network was functioning under the patronage of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and was using individuals from India to further terror activities. The arrested include Uttar Pradesh and Punjab residents who have previous criminal records. They were in direct contact with handlers in Pakistan.

“The timely intervention by Special Cell not only disrupted the activities of this organised module but also prevented several planned terror incidents, dealing a significant blow to ISI-sponsored proxy warfare being carried out through criminal-terror networks,” said Narra Chaitanya, DCP, Crime.

Police recovered five semi-automatic pistols, 41 live cartridges, seven phones containing incriminating chats and voice notes linked to Bhatti and Gujjar, a vehicle, and details of multiple bank accounts used to transfer the proceeds from the sale of narcotics and illegal weapons.

The module came to light in mid-May when the Special Cell received intelligence that Bhatti and Gujjar, acting at the behest of ISI, were planning attacks in Delhi-NCR and have recruited youths through social media.

Acting on the input, police apprehended Mohit alias Yogi, a resident of Loni, Ghaziabad, from Yamuna Vihar. An unlicensed pistol, four live cartridges, and a phone containing chats with Gujjar were recovered from him.

During interrogation, Mohit disclosed that he, along with Anas Tyagi, Arif alias Pradhan and Karanveer Singh, had been recruited by Bhatti and Gujjar to facilitate the smuggling and distribution of heroin, illegal arms and ammunition trafficked from Pakistan through drones in Punjab.

Tyagi told police that Bhatti and Gujjar had tasked the group with conducting reconnaissance of public places, sensitive establishments and certain individuals in Delhi-NCR and Haryana. Photographs and videos of these locations were sent to handlers in Pakistan for operational planning, the police said.

Investigators found that Arif had purchased a Zigana pistol from Gujjar and the group was involved in smuggling narcotics from Punjab using dead-drop delivery methods. The probe uncovered links between Tyagi and jailed gangster Deepak Agrola, who was introduced to Gujjar for procuring illegal weapons through an associate named Jatan.

Police said the syndicate used social media, encrypted messaging platforms, hawala channels and anonymous accounts for recruitment, financing and logistics. The arrests, police said, thwarted several planned terror incidents in Delhi-NCR. Further investigation is underway to identify and arrest other members of the syndicate.