New Delhi, Aug 21 (IANS) Union Home Minister announced last week that Shahzad Bhatti network that was recruiting youth on the social media for terror-related activities had been completely busted.
This has rattled the network and there has been a sharp decline in activity, since the announcement was made. The Home Minister said that the Indian agencies busted multiple modules and arrested over 200 persons, before India’s 80th Independence Day celebrations.
An Intelligence Bureau official said that this has dealt a major blow to the psyche of the Bhatti network. In recent years, it was one of the biggest operations that the ISI backed network had carried out. The aim was to create an army of individuals across the country. The youth who were offered fame, weapons and a very small amount of money were meant to install CCTV cameras at crowded locations, carry out hit jobs, smuggle small amounts of drugs and carry out hit jobs.
The official said that Bhatti sold these youth a dream of being famous and powerful and it worked seamlessly for months. However, the Indian agencies got the better of this network, and this has hurt Bhatti and the ISI.
Bhatti was taking his operations slow as he wanted to set up hundreds of small modules across the country. Another official said that while Bhatti and the ISI will try and resume operations, things would not be the same again. The action by the Indian agencies has hurt the morale of network.
Officials say that when the network was going strong, Bhatti and his recruiters would manage to reach out to scores of youth and they would even get a response., However, the online activity has slowed down considerably and there are many youth who are casting aspersions on the networks agenda and even refusing their offers.
Hurting the psyche of the Bhatti network and creating awareness among the youth has been a massive win for the agencies, officials say.
Although Bhatti has been trying to negate the action taken by the Indian agencies, the youth are not buying the argument, the official added. Bhatti in fact went on to question the Indian government’s actions. He said that all three thousand youth recruited are still with him and the Indian government has put out false number.
He even questioned whether those arrested as claimed by the Indian agencies are really part of his network.
Officials say that this was expected from Bhatti. He has to put up a brave front and try and create a fake narrative as he realises that the recruitment process would not be same now.
The officials further remarked that it is a defeat for Bhatti and he is trying to salvage the situation. He is also attempting to create a fake narrative so that the youth believe his story and would not fear before joining him. In addition to investigations and major module busts, the agencies are also educating the youth about the dangers of joining such networks.
–IANS
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