The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has lodged a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against alleged online radicalisation of youth in India by Shahzad Bhatti, a gangster from Pakistan run by the country’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) unit and other suspected targets of ISI.
The investigation will look into the claims by the officials that Pakistani agents approached young Indians through social media and offer financial or job opportunities. The persons were reportedly told to perform activities that can cause a “tear” in the peace and undertake terror-related activities in this country, India.
The NIA case against the dead was on September 8, when its Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) filed a First Information Report. The ATS had been on the trail of suspected formation of sleeper cells in Pakistan via social media.
Bhatti and a number of alleged ISI operatives, including some stationed in Pakistan, have been named in the NIA’s FIR. The names of the individuals on the list are Abid Jatt, Major Hamid, Major Iqbal and Major Anwar.
Two other Indians have been named in the investigation. There are two viz. Tushar Chauhan (Uttar Pradesh) and Delhi’s own Sameer.
Later the Arunachal Tiger Squad (ATS) in Uttar Pradesh arrested both the ITIs in April as part of its investigation.
The NIA will now investigate alleged network, which involves reaching out to and impacting Indian youths through online channels. The probe is likely to be conducted to see who was involved in the network and whether there was any attempted penetration into the country into the extent of the network’s activities here.