New Delhi: The Delhi Police Special Cell has dismantled a criminal module orchestrated by Pakistan-based gangster and ISI proxy Shahzad Bhatti, leading to the arrest of two operatives. The duo, identified as 21-year-old Rajveer and 19-year-old Vivek Banjara, both residents of Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, were allegedly planning to execute targeted killings and grenade attacks across the Delhi-NCR and Punjab regions. This intelligence-led operation prevented a coordinated strike on high-profile targets, including prominent hotels in the national capital and a club in Zirakpur, Punjab.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Praveen Kumar Tripathi, Vivek Banjara was the first to be apprehended in Dabra, Gwalior, on April 16, 2026. His interrogation provided the leads necessary to arrest Rajveer from the Sarai Kale Khan area of Delhi on April 18, just as he was reportedly preparing to open fire at a well-known hotel. Investigators recovered two pistols and several live rounds from the accused, along with mobile phones containing incriminating voice notes and videos detailing their assignments from handlers abroad.
The investigation revealed that Rajveer was recruited through social media by a handler known as ‘Rana Bhai’, an associate of Bhatti, and subsequently brought Vivek into the network. In early April, the pair travelled to Amritsar to receive weapons and funds specifically meant for an attack on a Zirakpur club that had refused to pay extortion money. Although the duo attempted to carry out the firing on April 11, the mission failed due to a mechanical malfunction in the pistol—an incident Vivek allegedly recorded to justify the failure to their Pakistan-based handler.
Shahzad Bhatti, who is currently an absconder and a primary accused in several NIA investigations involving grenade attacks in Punjab, has been increasingly using social media to radicalize and recruit youth for proxy operations. The Special Cell has registered a case under Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and is currently tracing further links in the network. This operation highlights the persistent threat of cross-border syndicates using local operatives to disrupt security in major Indian urban hubs through extortion and targeted violence.
