The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has registered a case to probe the alleged online radicalisation of Indian youths by Pakistan-based gangster Shahzad Bhatti and other Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agents, officials said on Thursday.
The probe centres on an alleged network that used social media to contact and influence Indian youths, with the aim of carrying out terror attacks in India.
01. Eight accused named in the FIR
The NIA’s First Information Report names eight accused. They include Bhatti, whom the agency identifies as an ISI agent based in Pakistan, along with Md Hamad Barkati, Abid Jatt, Major Hamid, Major Iqbal and Major Anwar, all said to be ISI agents based in Pakistan.
The FIR also names two Indian men arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) in April this year: Tushar Chauhan, also known as Hijbullah Ali Khan, from Uttar Pradesh, and Sameer from Delhi.
02. How the case began
The NIA case stems from a case registered by the Uttar Pradesh ATS in April this year. Investigators initially looked into suspected Pakistani sleeper cells allegedly being created through social media platforms.
During the probe, investigators alleged that Bhatti, Jatt and radical Pakistani YouTubers, acting on ISI instructions, were trying to radicalise Indian youths online and lure them with financial incentives to disturb internal peace and communal harmony.
The central government had in September this year declared the Pakistan-based Shahzad Bhatti Network a terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The NIA case folds that designation into a wider terror probe.
