Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: Assam police arrested three men on July 24 during a major raid across three districts. The Special Task Force apprehended the trio in connection to the Shahzad Bhatti Network, a group investigators claim operates under the direction of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence. Officers targeted Dhubri, Chirang, and Barpeta to execute the operation.
Police identified the detainees as 26-year-old Akramul Islam, 22-year-old Aminur Rahman, and 54-year-old Abdul Hussain. The arrests fall under STF Police Station Case No. 06/2026. This follows an earlier bust in Nalbari on May 22, 2026, which first alerted authorities to the group's presence in the state.
Intelligence reports suggest the network recruits operatives and establishes sleeper cells across India. The group allegedly masks its activities using seven front organizations: the Khalistan Armed Force, Punjab Sovereignty Alliance, Khalistan Liberation Army, Sher-e-Punjab Brigade, United Sikh Brotherhood, Sikh Tigers of Khalistan, and Tehrik-e-Taliban Hindustan. Investigators link the latter group to the killings of two Punjab Police officers on February 22 and May 24, 2026.
Raids yielded five mobile phones, seven SIM cards, bank passbooks, debit cards, and Aadhaar cards. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma praised the arrests in a social media post. He called the STF action a "significant operation against anti-national elements" while confirming that the sweep successfully exposed the network within the state.
Handlers use encrypted channels to manage these operatives. The STF continues to search for additional links to the case.
Comments