Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is systematically replicating the gangster-terror fusion model it first tested in Punjab across multiple Indian states, including Maharashtra, Gujarat, and the Northeastern states, according to officials familiar with ongoing investigations. What began as a targeted experiment linking Khalistan-aligned gangsters with terror networks has, according to security officials, evolved into a countrywide operational blueprint.

The ISI's Unified Network Strategy

Security officials say the ISI has concluded that keeping gangster networks and terror groups as separate entities is operationally inefficient. By merging the two, the Pakistan spy agency gains shared logistics, pooled finances, and wider recruitment pipelines — all while making it harder for Indian agencies to track either network in isolation.

"Terror groups come under much higher scrutiny when compared to the gangs. It is this aspect that the ISI has been using of late to synchronise the two networks," an official said. Recruiting youth into gangster networks is reportedly easier than direct terror recruitment, making gangs an effective front for radicalisation and operational support.

How the Punjab Model Works — and Why It Is Being Exported

In Punjab, the ISI coordinated gangsters operating both inside India and abroad to liaise with Khalistan-linked terror groups. The gangster networks provided logistical support — movement, safe houses, and supply chains — while the terror outfits directed attacks. Narcotics trafficking formed a key financial artery: drug revenues were funnelled into terror financing, according to officials.

An Intelligence Bureau (IB) official said the Punjab-Khalistan experiment had yielded results significant enough for the ISI to treat it as a replicable template. Maharashtra has now been identified as the next operational laboratory, the official added.

Maharashtra ATS Uncovers the Network

The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has dismantled a major gangster-terror network following raids across Mumbai, Pune, Jalgaon, Nagpur, Nashik, Nanded, Mira Road, and Nalasopara. Investigations revealed a structured mechanism for drug sales, with proceeds earmarked for terror financing.

The operations were reportedly overseen by the Shahzad Bhatti network and facilitated on the ground by the Dogar Gang. Bhatti, originally from Lahore, has reportedly been on the ISI's payroll for several years and operates primarily from Dubai and Pakistan. ISI-backed operatives were found to have used social media extensively to recruit youth, targeting them first for drug supply roles before drawing them deeper into the network.

Designated Zones, Coordinated Chaos

Officials say the ISI's broader design assigns each gangster-terror unit a designated geographic area of operation. Khalistan-aligned gangsters, for instance, are reportedly not deployed for operations in Maharashtra or other states — and vice versa. This compartmentalisation, officials say, is deliberate: it creates jurisdictional confusion for state and central agencies, who are trained to track either criminal or terror networks — not a hybrid of both.

"What the coming together of both these networks does is create confusion for the agencies," an official explained. The ISI's stated goal, according to officials, is not ideological alignment but the sustained destabilisation of India — through blasts, fidayeen strikes, narcotics supply, and financial terrorism.

What Security Agencies Are Watching

Officials stress that countering this threat requires deep coordination between central and state intelligence agencies. Monitoring of social media platforms has been identified as critical, given that recruitment and operational communication have consistently relied on these channels across all investigated cases. The agencies are now working to map the network's expansion into Gujarat and the Northeast before it consolidates.