Over 200 operatives linked to ISI-backed Shahzad Bhatti gang arrested ahead of I-Day: Amit Shah

Home Minister Amit Shah. File. | Photo Credit: PTI Coordinated raids conducted on August 12 had thwarted plans by the Shahzad Bhatti Network to carry out subversive activities around Independence Day, the Home Monister saysIn a major counter-terror operation ahead of Independence Day, security agencies dismantled the Pakistan-based, ISI-backed Shahzad Bhatti Network, detaining 253 people across 14 States and arresting more than 200 operatives linked to the syndicate, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday (August 17, 2026).According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Shahzad Bhatti Network has been linked to grenade attacks, improvised explosive device (IED) blasts, petrol bomb incidents and targeted killings in various parts of the country. Investigator