LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) on Thursday arrested UP youths working for ISI based operatives for activities aimed at creating fear and carrying out anti-national tasks.According to ATS, the accused were asked to conduct surveillance of the Army Cantonment in Lucknow and the Indian Air Force Station at Bamarauli and share information with their handlers. For this task, they were allegedly promised Rs 10,000.The ATS on Wednesday arrested Mohammad Umar (19) and Faizan (21) , both residents of Akbarpur village in Bulandshahr district, who are educated only up to Class 5, in connection with an alleged terror-linked network being operated by Pakistani gangster Shehzad Bhatti and his associates. According to ATS, the network is backed by Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI and is attempting to create sleeper cells in India through online platforms.Investigators said the two accused came in contact with Pakistani gangsters Shehzad Bhatti, Abid Jatt, Hammad Barkati and Rana Hunain through WhatsApp and Instagram. They were allegedly tasked with carrying out activities designed to spread fear and demonstrate the influence of Pakistan-based criminal-terror networks within India.During interrogation, the accused allegedly disclosed that they had pasted posters carrying the photograph and name of Pakistani gangster Abid Jatt at several locations in Bulandshahr. They also recorded videos of the poster-pasting exercise and sent them to their handlers as proof of execution. ATS officials said the duo had been promised Rs 12,000 for completing the assignment.The agency recovered 55 posters of Abid Jatt, videos of the posters being pasted and other digital evidence from the accused. ATS believes the objective behind the exercise was not merely propaganda but to create an atmosphere of fear and establish the visibility of the Pakistan-based network in India.The investigation further revealed that the duo had allegedly been assigned a more serious task involving reconnaissance of sensitive defence installations. ATS officials said the case highlights a disturbing pattern in which hostile foreign networks exploit economically weak and poorly educated youths by offering easy money for seemingly minor assignments that can gradually escalate into activities posing a threat to national security. The use of social media platforms to identify, influence and recruit such individuals has emerged as a significant concern for security agencies.A case has been registered as Case Crime No. 08/2026 at the ATS Police Station in Lucknow under relevant legal provisions, and further investigation is underway to identify other members of the network and ascertain the extent of its operations in India.ATS said that before the latest arrests, five cases had already been registered and 15 accused arrested in connection with the same Pakistan-linked module. The agency is now probing whether more youths were recruited through similar online channels and assigned tasks ranging from propaganda activities to reconnaissance of sensitive locations.
