After Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat asserted that action would be taken against local criminals linked to Dubai-based Pakistani gangster-turned-terrorist Shahzad Bhatti, security agencies have begun surveillance of several notorious gangsters in Jammu.
Security agencies have intensified monitoring after the arrest of a Jammu-based criminal by agencies in Punjab for his alleged links with Bhatti, who is accused of supplying narcotics to different parts of Jammu and Kashmir.
As reported earlier, DGP Nalin Prabhat on Thursday issued a stern warning to Shahzad Bhatti for "pumping narcotics" into India, saying that he and his associates would be "hunted and hounded" and that their "evil infrastructure" would be decimated.
"A warning to Pakistan-based Shahzad Bhatti, who is ISI's acolyte and partner in pumping narcotics into India: we will hunt and hound you and your associates, and decimate your evil infrastructure," the DGP said at a press conference in Srinagar.
Highly placed sources said investigations have been initiated into the activities of several hardened gangsters from Jammu who are suspected of having links with criminal networks operating in other states, particularly Punjab.
"Intentionally or otherwise, some gangsters from the Jammu region are in contact with Shahzad Bhatti, who is operating from Dubai," sources said, adding that following the initial interrogation of Raman Kumar, agencies expanded the probe to include more than a dozen local gangsters.
Sources further revealed that certain Jammu-based gangsters had established links with hardened criminals in Punjab to procure illegal weapons. "In return for supplying arms, these criminals are allegedly using local gangsters to facilitate anti-national activities," sources said, citing the case of Raman Kumar alias Golu of Gangyal as an example.
As reported earlier, in a major breakthrough against a Pakistan-backed terror network, the State Special Operations Cell (SSOC), SAS Nagar, arrested a Jammu resident in February this year for his alleged links with Shahzad Bhatti.
The accused was identified as Raman Kumar alias Golu, a resident of Gangyal in Jammu. He is believed to be a close associate of Bhatti and is accused of providing logistical and financial support to terror-related activities in India.
According to police, Kumar was in direct contact with Bhatti through Instagram and WhatsApp. Investigations revealed that he was also involved in the Ambala police station blast and had allegedly provided financial assistance to the perpetrators on Bhatti's instructions.
Kumar was initially arrested on January 21 in connection with an Arms Act case registered on December 10 last year at the SSOC police station in Mohali. After obtaining a production warrant, the SSOC team brought him from Ambala Central Jail to Punjab and produced him before a district court, which remanded him to further custody for interrogation.
During questioning, Kumar disclosed that he runs a meat shop in Gangyal and had local rivalries. He told investigators that he came into contact with Bhatti through Instagram and remained in regular communication with him.
Investigators said Bhatti allegedly arranged the supply of a .30 bore pistol to Kumar through one of his operatives, although specific targets had not yet been communicated. Acting on Kumar's disclosure, the SSOC team recovered the weapon.
Police also confirmed that Kumar had earlier been arrested by Haryana Police in connection with the blast at a police station in Ambala, which was allegedly carried out on Bhatti's directions. He is further accused of transferring funds to those involved in the attack at Bhatti's behest.
