The National Investigation Agency is searching for alleged associates of Pakistan-based terrorist Shazad Bhatti in Tamil Nadu’s Erode and Tiruppur districts, following the arrest of six people in Thanjavur, Dinamalar reported on October 13, citing NIA officials.
The searches are based on information allegedly obtained during the investigation into the Shazad Bhatti Network, referred to in the report as SPN. The agency had arrested Maqsood Ali, 21, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, in Thanjavur on September 16 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, according to the report.
The report said that five more people, including 45-year-old Yasar Abdul, were subsequently arrested in Thanjavur. Their alleged links to the network and the information they provided are being examined by the NIA as investigators look for other suspected associates in western Tamil Nadu.
According to the NIA officials quoted by Dinamalar, the group was allegedly attempting to radicalise young people in India and prepare them for terrorist activities. The officials further alleged that members of the network had identified places of worship and defence-related offices in Tamil Nadu as potential targets.
The report also attributed to the officials an allegation that the suspected associates were preparing to use cars carrying gas cylinders to ram police stations. No details were provided in the report about a specific target, planned date, seizure of explosives or an attack having taken place.
The allegations remain part of an ongoing investigation. The reported searches in Erode and Tiruppur follow the arrests in Thanjavur and indicate that the agency is examining possible links across multiple Tamil Nadu districts. Further details about the searches, including whether additional arrests or recoveries have been made, were not available in the supplied report.
