Pune, 14th July 2026: The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Tuesday conducted simultaneous searches at multiple locations in Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad and other parts of the state as part of an investigation into a suspected network allegedly linked to Pakistani gangster Shahzad Bhatti. Several persons were detained for questioning during the operation.
Sources have said that at least 60 locations were being searched across the state including 23 of them in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad.
According to ATS officials, the searches were launched following intelligence inputs that Bhatti and his associates were allegedly using social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Telegram and WhatsApp to contact and influence young people. Investigators suspect the network was attempting to recruit and exploit youths for unlawful activities.
An ATS official said the operation is still underway and further details will emerge after the questioning and forensic examination of the seized digital evidence.
Intelligence agencies believe Bhatti has emerged as one of PakistanтАЩs Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)-backed operatives tasked with building a recruitment network in India to further terror-related activities. According to intelligence inputs, he has allegedly been running the network for several months.
Officials said Bhatti is suspected of adopting a shifting recruitment strategy to avoid detection, focusing on one state at a time before moving operations elsewhere when security agencies begin tracking the network. Intelligence agencies believe that after initially targeting youths in Uttar Pradesh, the network shifted its focus to Maharashtra.
The investigation is continuing, with ATS officials trying to establish the full scale of the network and whether more people were involved.
The post Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad Among 60 Locations Raided as ATS Probes Alleged Shahzad Bhatti-Linked Network appeared first on Punekar News.
