Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has stepped up efforts to disrupt the alleged Shahzad Bhatti network in the state, with investigators questioning around 24 people in 10 districts and examining their social media activity, mobile communications and contacts, officials familiar with the investigation said. The operation continued till the last reports came in.“Of the total 24, 18 have been let off after warning, while gadgets of six others are still being scrutinised,” said an official privy to the probe.The latest action is part of a wider intelligence-led exercise aimed at identifying and neutralising the network’s suspected local links before they can develop into operational modules, investigators said.Acting on inputs from intelligence agencies, ATS teams have been carrying out searches and questioning suspects across multiple districts. The operation, which initially focused on several locations, has now expanded to additional areas, with investigators examining possible links in Muzaffarnagar, Bahraich, Shamli, Lakhimpur Kheri and Aligarh, among other districts.Officials said around two dozen individuals have been identified for scrutiny on the basis of information gathered during earlier investigations and interrogations of arrested suspects. Their individual roles are being verified before any further action is taken.Officials said the exercise is intended to distinguish between individuals who may have had casual or incidental contact with suspects and those who may have maintained sustained communication with or helped the alleged network.The ATS has previously arrested 52 suspects in the past four months in cases involving alleged terrorist activities linked to the network, according to information cited by officials.WHO IS SHAHZAD BHATTI?Shahzad Bhatti is a Pakistan-based gangster-turned-terror suspect who has been under investigation by Indian security agencies for alleged cross-border criminal and terror activities. Investigators have linked his network to grenade, IED and petrol-bomb attacks, targeted killings and reconnaissance of sensitive locations in India. He has been named in investigations into attacks in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.
