The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has registered a fresh case to examine how Pakistan-based gangster Shahzad Bhatti and a clutch of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) operatives allegedly used social media platforms and financial inducements to radicalise Indian youths and prepare them for terror strikes inside the country.
The probe is directly drawn from an Uttar Pradesh ATS case registered in April, where two Indians were arrested for maintaining direct contact with Pakistani handlers and for planning what the investigators described as a major disruptive act.
The NIA’s First Information Report (FIR) names eight accused. At the centre is Bhatti, identified as an ISI-linked operative based in Pakistan and the principal figure of the Shahzad Bhatti Network. In September, the Centre had already designated the network a terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, citing its participation in terrorism-related activities directed at India. Also named are MohdHamadBarkati, AbidJatt, Major Hamid, Major Iqbal and Major Anwar, all described as ISI agents operating from Pakistan, along with two Indians: Tushar Chauhan, also known as Hijbullah Ali Khan, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, and Sameer, a resident of Delhi. The UP ATS arrested both Indians in April 2026.
As per the investigators, the UP ATS had been tracking Pakistani sleeper cells which had been nurtured via social media. The trail led to Chauhan and Sameer, who were in regular contact with handlers on the other side of the border.
During the course of the interrogation and the digital forensics, it emerged that Bhatti, Jatt and a group of radical Pakistani YouTubers were all being run by the ISI. They used a mix of ideological messaging and cash: young men in India were approached online, exposed to content designed to inflame communal tensions, and then offered money to do things contrary to the country’s peace and harmony.
The pattern has been going on for some time, with Pakistan-based handlers looking to recruit or co-opt Indian nationals as low-cost assets. They used YouTube channels and private messaging to reach an audience without being physically present, and financial inducements brought people into the fold. Once radicalised, handlers believed they could use the recruits for reconnaissance, logistics, and even direct action. The UP ATS has described the men arrested as having moved beyond simply consuming propaganda to actual planning.
The NIA’s takeover shows a plan to trace the digital and financial links connecting the handlers to India. Officials said the investigation will look at how the network picked targets, moved money, and managed communication. Since some suspects are still in Pakistan, the probe will use digital forensics, examine devices taken from the two arrested men, and use intelligence from other agencies.
The NIA is investigating the Bhatti network’s modus operandi, identifying its victims, how it moved money, and how it communicated. With several of the accused still in Pakistan, the investigation will rely heavily on digital forensics, the devices seized from the two men arrested, and any intelligence other agencies can provide, sources said.
Security officials see this as further evidence that online radicalisation remains the preferred method for foreign actors trying to exploit divisions in the country. The Shahzad Bhatti Network has already been formally designated under the UAPA, putting all its members and associates under the lens of the Indian security agencies. Right now, the case rests on the April arrests and the pattern of contact, inducement, and planning that the UP ATS has identified.