NIA Raids Punjab Haryana Shahzad Bhatti: 18 Locations Targeted
The National Investigation Agency conducted coordinated raids at 18 locations across Punjab and Haryana on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, targeting three separate terror-gangster network cases linked to Pakistan-based operative Shahzad Bhatti, in one of the most significant counter-terror operations carried out in northern India in recent months.
The NIA raids Punjab Haryana Shahzad Bhatti operation involved searches at multiple locations across both states simultaneously, with agency teams seizing digital devices, documents, and financial records related to alleged cross-border terror financing, arms smuggling, radicalisation of youth, and criminal activities with suspected links to Pakistan-based handlers.
Multiple suspects were questioned during the operations, and investigations are ongoing. The raids reflect the NIA’s sustained focus on dismantling the expanding India-based modules of a network that security agencies say has been responsible for a series of violent incidents across northern India over the past several years.
NIA Raids Punjab Haryana Shahzad Bhatti: Who Is Shahzad Bhatti
At the centre of Tuesday’s NIA raids Punjab Haryana Shahzad Bhatti operation is a Pakistani national who has emerged as one of the most significant cross-border terror handlers currently being tracked by Indian security agencies. Bhatti is believed to operate primarily from the UAE and Dubai, using the Gulf as a base from which to direct criminal and terror activities targeting India.
Indian agencies allege that Bhatti runs a sophisticated network that recruits young men through social media platforms, exploiting economic vulnerabilities and ideological grievances to draw them into criminal and terror activity. Once recruited, members of his network are allegedly used to carry out tasks including grenade attacks on police targets, receiving drone-dropped arms shipments from across the border, and planning high-profile strikes against security and civilian targets.
Bhatti has been named in multiple NIA chargesheets, including in connection with the 2025 grenade attack on the Sirsa women’s police station, an incident that drew significant attention for the boldness of the target and the evidence it provided of a coordinated cross-border conspiracy. His network has been linked to modules busted by security agencies in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, and several other states.
What Was Seized and Who Was Questioned
The NIA raids Punjab Haryana Shahzad Bhatti operation targeted locations associated with individuals believed to be part of three distinct but interconnected terror-gangster network cases. Among the items seized were digital devices including mobile phones, laptops, and storage media, which are expected to yield valuable intelligence about communication networks, recruitment activities, and operational planning.
Documents and financial records were also confiscated, with the financial records in particular expected to shed light on the cross-border terror financing channels that Indian agencies say are being used to fund criminal and terror operations on Indian soil. Multiple suspects were questioned at various locations, and further action including arrests and supplementary chargesheets is likely as the agency processes the seized material.
Drone-Dropped Arms and Cross-Border Terror Financing
One of the most technically sophisticated aspects of the Shahzad Bhatti network, as described by Indian security agencies, is the use of drones to smuggle arms across the India-Pakistan border into Punjab. Drone-dropped arms deliveries have become an increasingly common method used by Pakistan based handlers to supply weapons to their India-based modules without the risks of traditional smuggling routes.
Punjab Police and central agencies have seized multiple drones and drone-dropped consignments of weapons including pistols, magazines, and explosives in recent years, and several of these seizures have been linked to the broader network operating from Pakistan and the UAE. Cross-border terror financing through informal channels, hawala networks, and cryptocurrency is another key focus of the investigation, and the financial records seized on Tuesday are expected to help investigators trace the money trail further.
NIA Raids Punjab Haryana Shahzad Bhatti: What Happens Next
Tuesday’s NIA raids Punjab Haryana Shahzad Bhatti operation is the latest in a series of actions taken by the agency against networks linked to Pakistan-based handlers. The NIA has significantly expanded its focus on cross-border terror networks in recent years, filing chargesheets in multiple cases and securing convictions against several operatives who were part of Pakistan-directed modules.
The agency’s approach has increasingly focused on dismantling the entire ecosystem of a terror-gangster network rather than simply arresting individual operatives, targeting financiers, recruiters, arms suppliers, and operational planners alongside the foot soldiers who carry out attacks on the ground. The 18-location simultaneous raid signals that the NIA’s investigation into the Shahzad Bhatti network is advancing to a stage where the agency has sufficient intelligence to move against multiple nodes of the network at the same time, and further developments in the case are expected in the weeks ahead.
Also Read: Gujarat Police’s Operation Delta Hunt Detains 501 Illegal Bangladeshi Nationals Across the State
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