Over 40 modules of Shahzad Bhatti’s network destroyed, 350 detained in 15 states: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the inaugural session of the National Conference on Counter-Terrorism Policy and Strategy in Prague. | Photo credit: PTI

More than 40 modules associated with Shahzad Bhatti’s network, allegedly involved in cross-border smuggling of arms, explosives and narcotics, have been busted and 350 people arrested in 15 states, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday (Sep 28, 2026).

Mr. Shah said that more than 100 First Information Reports have been registered against members of the network and that the Union government has declared the Shahzad Bhatti network as a terrorist organization under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Bhatti is a Pakistani social media influencer.

Publishing portal

Mr Shah has launched a new extradition portal which the home ministry says is to coordinate and speed up efforts to bring refugees from abroad back to India. He asked the state police force to form specialized teams that could work with central agencies on extradition and other mechanisms to ensure the return of refugees.

He was speaking at the inauguration of a conference on ‘PRAHAAR – Counter Terrorism Policy and Strategy’ in Delhi. The conference brought together senior officials from the Center and states to discuss the government’s counter-terrorism strategy. Union Home Minister Govind Mohan; Director, Intelligence Bureau, Mahesh Dixit; Foreign Minister Vikram Misri; heads of central armed police forces and central police organizations; Director Generals of Police of 15 States and Commanders of Anti-Terrorism Squads from all States and Union Territories were present. Other state police chiefs and field officers joined virtually.

Improved coordination

Mr Shah credited the crackdown on the network to better coordination between security and investigative agencies. He said the government had adopted a “zero tolerance” policy against all forms and manifestations of terrorism and called for closer coordination among stakeholders to ensure that there was no delay in counter-terrorism operations.

The home minister also said that 288 fugitive criminals from 36 countries were brought to India between 2019 and 2026.

The PRAHAAR strategy rests on seven pillars: prevention, response, domestic capacity aggregation, human rights, mitigating the conditions for terrorism, coordinating international efforts, and recovery and resilience.

Mr Shah called for strengthening the strategy through continuous analysis of terror incidents and said a “strong and concrete” mechanism should be developed for the next 10 years.

He also emphasized that the principles of PRAHAAR should percolate down to the level of police stations and asked the police forces to take a proactive approach. Counter-terrorism responses should be institutionalized and automated at all levels of the security framework.

Published – 28 Sep 2026 22:14 IST