Daijiworld Media Network - Jaipur
Jaipur, May 29: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday carried out a series of coordinated raids across Rajasthan, including Ajmer and Neemrana, as part of a major anti-terror operation linked to suspected cross-border terror activities and funding networks allegedly connected to Pakistan-based gangster and terrorist Shahzad Bhatti.
According to officials, the investigation centres around allegations that operatives linked to Bhatti were involved in procuring weapons and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from across the border using drones.
In Ajmer, NIA teams raided a rented residence in Ambika Vihar Colony on Boraj Road and detained a man identified as Parmesh Meena for questioning. Meena, originally from Bhilwara, had reportedly been living there with his wife.
After nearly five hours of interrogation, investigators took him to Delhi for further questioning.
Sources said intelligence agencies had received inputs suggesting that Meena was allegedly in contact with Pakistan-based terrorist Shahzad Bhatti through social media platforms.
During the operation, NIA officials, assisted by local police, questioned residents in the neighbourhood and examined Meena’s activities and communication records.
Investigators reportedly found that he was active in online gaming and was allegedly involved in debt recovery-related work. His mobile phone, laptop, social media account information, and call detail records (CDRs) were seized for forensic examination.
Following the raid, Ajmer Police and intelligence agencies also began questioning Meena’s relatives and associates to trace possible links with larger networks.
Officials stated that the operation forms part of a broader crackdown launched after several youths from Sri Ganganagar were previously detained over suspected links with Shahzad Bhatti’s online network.
Intelligence agencies suspect the network may have been attempting to lure young individuals through promises of quick financial gains.
In a separate operation in Neemrana, another NIA team conducted a pre-dawn raid at a labour colony in Madhosinghpura village.
The agency questioned Nandkishore Sain, father of Shubham Kumar alias Shubham Srivastava, who had earlier been arrested by Punjab Police’s Special Operations Cell in connection with the recovery of an IED, a foreign-made pistol, remote-control devices, and other suspicious materials.
Officials said the NIA team arrived at the residence around 4.30 a.m. and searched the premises for nearly two hours before seizing several documents.
Nandkishore Sain was later taken to Neemrana Police Station for questioning regarding possible financial transactions, suspected foreign funding, and alleged associates linked to his son.
Family members said the family had only recently arrived in Neemrana from Sitawali in Uttar Pradesh and currently resides in a rented accommodation. According to them, around 10 to 15 NIA and police personnel participated in the search operation.
Shubham Sain has reportedly remained in custody since his arrest on February 3 in a case involving alleged links with Pakistan-based operatives.
Officials confirmed that simultaneous raids connected to the investigation were also conducted in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Maharashtra.
While the NIA has not yet issued an official statement regarding Friday’s raids, sources indicated that investigators are examining multiple aspects of the case, including terror funding channels, cross-border communication, and recruitment networks.
Local police and intelligence agencies continue to monitor the situation closely as the investigation progresses.