Pakistan-linked terror-crime network busted in Delhi-NCR, seven held

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police has busted an alleged Pakistan-backed terror-crime module operating in the Delhi-NCR region and arrested seven operatives accused of smuggling arms and narcotics from Pakistan, officials said on Tuesday.

The accused were also reportedly involved in conducting reconnaissance of potential targets and sharing their photographs with handlers across the border, they added. The accused were allegedly working for Pakistan-based gangster-turned-terrorist Shahzad Bhatti and his associate Ajmal Gujjar, whom investigators believe were operating under the patronage of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Police said the network was involved in procuring and distributing illegal arms, ammunition, and narcotics smuggled from Pakistan via drone drops in Punjab, which were then supplied across the Delhi-NCR region. The seven arrested accused have been identified as Anas alias Anas Tyagi (26), Mohit alias Yogi (26), Deepak alias Deepak Agrola (38), Arif alias Pradhan (30), Karanveer Singh (26), Jatan (29), and Sabir (30).

Police said several of them have prior criminal cases involving murder, attempt to murder, dacoity, the Arms Act, and the NDPS Act. During the operation, five semi-automatic pistols, 41 live cartridges, seven mobile phones containing incriminating chats and voice notes allegedly linked to Bhatti and Gujjar, and an SUV were seized. Investigators also recovered details of multiple bank accounts allegedly used to channel proceeds from narcotics and illegal arms trade. According to police, intelligence inputs received in May suggested that Bhatti and Gujjar were allegedly conspiring to carry out attacks in Delhi-NCR by recruiting youths through social media platforms. Acting on the tip-off, police laid a trap and apprehended Mohit near the Bhagirath Water Treatment Plant in Yamuna Vihar. One illegal pistol, four live cartridges, and a mobile phone allegedly containing chats with Gujjar were recovered from him. His interrogation led investigators to a wider network allegedly involved in smuggling weapons and narcotics, recruiting operatives, and conducting reconnaissance of potential targets. Police said Anas disclosed during questioning that Bhatti and Gujjar had instructed members of the network to survey various public places and other sensitive locations in Delhi-NCR. Photographs and videos of these sites were allegedly sent to handlers in Pakistan for further planning. Investigators said the syndicate used social media platforms and encrypted communication channels to identify and recruit vulnerable youths. The recruits were allegedly lured with promises of quick money, criminal influence, and an extravagant lifestyle before being drawn into arms trafficking, narcotics distribution, and reconnaissance activities. The probe further revealed that the network relied on encrypted applications, anonymous social media accounts, disposable mobile numbers, hawala channels and dead-drop delivery mechanisms to evade detection. Police alleged that Mohit, Arif, Anas, and an absconding accused were initially involved in informal money-lending activities and used illegal firearms to intimidate borrowers. Through social media, they allegedly came in contact with Ajmal Gujjar while seeking sophisticated weapons. Investigators claimed that Arif purchased a pistol from Gujjar for Rs 1 lakh, with payments routed through multiple accounts linked to individuals working abroad.

The group later became involved in transporting heroin and other narcotics from Punjab into Delhi-NCR using dead-drop methods. The probe also found that jailed gangster Deepak Agrola was introduced to Gujjar through Anas and allegedly facilitated the procurement of illegal weapons through associates operating outside prison. Police said efforts are underway to trace absconding operatives, identify suppliers and recipients involved in the cross-border smuggling network, and uncover the full extent of the conspiracy. (With agency inputs)