Jalandhar: Jalandhar Commissionerate Police has arrested three alleged members of the Shahzad Bhatti gang for allegedly passing sensitive information related to government departments to Pakistan over the past several months.
The arrested accused have been identified as Pradeep Singh, Bharat Verma and Sachin Khosla, all residents of Kamal Vihar in Jalandhar.
Commissioner of Police Satinder Singh said the trio was working on the directions of Pakistan-based gangster Shahzad Bhatti and his associate Harmaz Gujjar, allegedly collecting and transmitting information about the functioning of government departments.
According to the police, the investigation revealed that the accused first established contact with Shahzad Bhatti through social media. They allegedly shared information not only related to Punjab but also from other states with handlers based in Pakistan.
Police said evidence recovered during the investigation indicates that the accused had been leaking government-related information for the past three to four months. Officials added that more suspects linked to the network have been identified and are expected to be arrested soon.
An FIR has been registered against the accused under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), and further investigation is underway.
The police commissioner said certain details and documents cannot be disclosed at this stage due to national security concerns. Preliminary investigations have also revealed that one of the accused, Bharat Verma, is already facing an assault case.
Investigators believe the three accused were close associates and had travelled to other states to gather and transmit information. Police also suspect they received substantial financial payments in exchange for leaking sensitive information.
During the investigation, it also emerged that Pradeep Singh was the first to establish contact with Shahzad Bhatti through social media before introducing his two associates. The trio allegedly attempted to recruit more youths into the network by offering them large sums of money for sharing sensitive information.
Police further said the accused have also been linked to a recent explosion case, and more details are expected to emerge following the arrest of three to four additional suspects.
