Delhi Police’s Special Cell has arrested six alleged associates of Pakistan-based terrorist Shehzad Bhatti, who were allegedly planning to attack a police station near ITO in central Delhi.
According to police, the group had also conducted reconnaissance of a political party office as a potential target.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Pramod Kushwaha said the suspects had been instructed by Bhatti to target police establishments using petrol bombs. Police said several petrol bombs were recovered during the operation.
The arrests come after Bhatti allegedly released a video warning Delhi Police against naming him in investigations or arresting his associates. Bhatti has previously claimed to have severed ties with jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi following the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala.
Intelligence-led operation
Police said intelligence inputs suggested that Bhatti’s network had activated two modules in Delhi, allegedly on the directions of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Multiple teams of the Special Cell conducted raids across Delhi and neighbouring areas, leading to the arrest of six suspects.
Two of the accused, Danish alias Chand Miya (24) and Salman (20), both residents of Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, were arrested near Vijay Ghat.
Police said they recovered three petrol bombs, three pistols, five live cartridges, two cars, a stolen motorcycle and mobile phones allegedly containing conversations with handlers based in Pakistan.
According to Kushwaha, Danish came into contact with Rana Hunain, whom police identified as a Pakistan-based ISI operative and an associate of Bhatti, through social media in April.
Police alleged that Danish had been promised ₹20,000 to carry out the attack, while Salman was to receive ₹20,000 for filming the incident.
Second module busted
Police said a second module was allegedly being operated by another Pakistan-based ISI operative, Hassan Gujjar, who is also said to be associated with Bhatti.
Three suspects—Tayyab (27) of Shaheen Bagh, Jubair Khan (24) of Modinagar in Uttar Pradesh and Ali Fazal (26) of Meerut—were arrested from the Kalindi Kunj area.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Praveen Tripathi said firearms, two cars and mobile phones containing alleged conversations with their handlers were seized from the accused.
Another suspect, Malkiat Singh (36) of Amritsar, Punjab, was also arrested. Police alleged that he acted as a courier, delivering firearms that had been smuggled into India using drones across the Punjab border.
The investigation is ongoing, and the allegations against the accused are yet to be tested in court.
