An Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) operative identified as Shehzad Bhatti has been running a large-scale recruitment network inside India, targeting unemployed and low-income youth for activities ranging from drug smuggling and weapons trafficking to intelligence gathering and, ultimately, terror-related operations, according to security officials. Intelligence inputs indicate the network has been active for several months, with operations already traced across Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Maharashtra.

Who Is Shehzad Bhatti

Bhatti was formerly known as a social media influencer before allegedly being recruited by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence and tasked with building a pan-India module of operatives. According to officials, he was specifically directed to target youth in North Indian states and has, over the past six months, allegedly enlisted recruits across the region — in some cases for payments as low as ₹5,000.

The recruitment model, officials say, deliberately avoids disclosing any terror-related end-goal to new recruits. Instead, initial tasks are framed as low-risk assignments — smuggling small quantities of narcotics, gathering information about sensitive locations, or transporting minor contraband — designed to test reliability and build a track record before recruits are drawn deeper into the network.

The Shifting State-by-State Strategy

A key feature of Bhatti's alleged operation is its mobility. An Intelligence Bureau official said the network deliberately avoids simultaneous pan-India recruitment. 'They are not indulging in pan-India recruitments. They are targeting youth from one state at a time, and this helps them evade the security agencies,' the official said.

When security agencies reportedly began closing in on his operations in Uttar Pradesh, Bhatti is said to have shifted focus to Maharashtra. Investigators in Maharashtra now say more than 100 youth are under active surveillance by security agencies in the state.

Who Is Being Targeted

In Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, investigators say Bhatti's network focused on economically vulnerable individuals — including biryani sellers, small-time moneylenders, and vegetable vendors — who were initially assigned tasks such as smuggling small firearms and marijuana. Officials believe these assignments were designed to test their reliability and gradually prepare them for more serious operations.

The recruitment pattern differs markedly from that of conventional terror outfits. Rather than ideological indoctrination, the primary lure is financial — with recruits reportedly agreeing to assignments in exchange for modest sums. 'The tasks that were assigned initially required the recruits to smuggle narcotics in smaller quantities. They were also told to gather information about sensitive locations. These tasks do not appear risky when compared to being told to carry out a terror attack,' the Intelligence Bureau official said.

Maharashtra ATS Investigation

The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) is conducting an active investigation into the network's expansion in the state. According to officials, Bhatti and his associates were using an online outreach programme, financial inducements, and propaganda to widen their reach. The ATS probe reportedly reveals a far larger operational plan than what has so far been publicly disclosed.

Officials say Bhatti's broader objective is to establish extensive modules across multiple states — a network capable of executing coordinated tasks on demand. Whenever surveillance intensifies in one state, he is said to relocate operations to another, making dismantlement a sustained challenge for law enforcement agencies.

The Security Challenge Ahead

Officials describe dismantling this network as a significant challenge, given its decentralised structure and deliberate strategy of operating below the threshold of conventional terror activity. Investigators believe Bhatti will continue the recruitment drive until he has established viable modules across several states. The case underscores a broader concern among Indian security agencies about ISI-backed networks that exploit economic vulnerability rather than religious or political grievance as an entry point.