Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, May 13: The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has launched a large-scale operation across the state, questioning 57 individuals in connection with alleged links to Pakistan-based criminal networks, including the Shahzad Bhatti gang and the Dogra gang.

The coordinated action began early Wednesday morning around 8 a.m., with simultaneous raids carried out in multiple cities and districts such as Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Nalasopara, Mira Road, Akola, Nanded, Nashik, and Jalgaon.

According to officials, the operation is aimed at dismantling suspected gangster-linked networks operating within Maharashtra and identifying individuals believed to be in direct or indirect contact with them. Investigators said many of those being questioned are suspected of interacting with these groups through social media platforms or being influenced as followers and sympathisers.

Intelligence inputs gathered over time reportedly suggest that individuals based across the border have been using online platforms to target and recruit young people from Maharashtra into criminal and potentially radical networks. These groups are allegedly enticing youths with promises of money and an extravagant lifestyle in an effort to expand their influence within the state.

The ATS operation is also focused on identifying possible sleeper cells, local collaborators, and support systems that could be facilitating illegal activities such as arms smuggling or other coordinated criminal operations before they escalate further.

During the searches, ATS teams seized electronic devices including mobile phones, laptops, and pen drives from multiple locations linked to suspects. Officials also said financial records and bank transactions are being closely examined to trace any suspected movement of funds through illegal hawala channels or foreign sources.

Digital evidence collected during the raids is currently under analysis to map the full extent of the alleged network and to identify additional individuals who may have had contact with the suspected operatives.

While the exact number of detentions has not been officially confirmed, authorities said multiple ATS units remain engaged in ongoing verification and interrogation efforts across the state.

Investigators also noted that the name of Pakistan-based gangster Shahzad Bhatti has repeatedly surfaced in several cases related to alleged terror recruitment, radicalisation, and espionage activities in India in recent months, with more than a dozen cases reportedly linked to him across different agencies.

Bhatti, described by agencies as a Lahore-based gangster who has allegedly operated from Dubai for years while travelling frequently across the Middle East, is now a key focus of Indian investigative efforts, including attempts to pursue extradition to bring him to trial.