The Delhi Police’s Special Cell said on Tuesday that seven people were arrested. They were alleged operatives of a Pakistan-backed international terror-crime syndicate that smuggled arms and narcotics into Delhi-NCR and planned attacks across the region, including at an eatery in Haryana.
An officer said the module was reportedly run by gangster-turned-terrorist Shahzad Bhatti and his associate Ajmal Gujjar, who allegedly operated under the patronage of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
The arrested accused were identified as Anas, 26, of Ashok Vihar; Mohit, 26; Deepak, 38; Arif, 30; Jatan, 29; Sabir, 30, all residents of Loni, Ghaziabad; and Karanveer Singh, 26, a resident of Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab.
According to police, the action was taken after a dedicated team carried out the operation. During the search, seven suspects were arrested and their premises searched. Police seized five sophisticated semi-automatic pistols, 41 live cartridges, seven mobile phones containing incriminating chats and voice notes, and a Scorpio vehicle linked to the syndicate.
Police said the Special Cell had been monitoring Pakistan-sponsored terror networks operating through criminal proxies. Intelligence received in mid-May 2026 indicated that Shahzad Bhatti and Ajmal Gujjar were recruiting youths via social media to carry out attacks in the Delhi-NCR.
Accused Mohit was taken into custody near Bhagirath Water Treatment Plant, Yamuna Vihar. Police seized an illegal pistol, four live cartridges, and a mobile phone containing incriminating chats. Interrogation reportedly revealed that recruits were being radicalised and lured with money, promises of quick gains, and a glorified criminal lifestyle.
DCP (Special Cell) Narra Chaitanya said in a statement that the accused carried out reconnaissance of several potential targets. These included a well-known eatery in Haryana, certain personalities in Delhi and Loni, and other sensitive locations in the Delhi-NCR. Photographs and videos of these sites were allegedly transmitted to handlers in Pakistan to aid operational planning.
According to the DCP, the network smuggled arms and heroin/chitta from Pakistan into India via Punjab, sometimes using drone deliveries and dead-drop mechanisms.
Communications were routed through encrypted apps, disposable SIMs, and anonymous social media accounts. Financial transactions for weapons were allegedly executed via UPI scanner transactions and accounts linked to persons in Dubai, masking payments through intermediaries, he said.
The probe also revealed that jailed gangster Deepak Agrola, who remains lodged in the Mandoli jail, was introduced to handlers by Anas. He reportedly used contacts inside prison to facilitate procurements. One accused, Arif, allegedly purchased a Jigana pistol for Rs 1 lakh through network conduits, the officer said.
