3 men arrested in Jalandhar for sharing info on key locations with Pakistan-based gangster

Jalandhar police have arrested three individuals under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for allegedly sharing sensitive information with Pakistan-based operatives through social media platforms and messaging applications. According to the police, the accused passed on details related to government buildings and other sensitive locations to Pakistan-based gangster Shehzaz Bhatti and Hamas Gujjar.

The fresh arrests add to the growing network of espionage and spies active in the region and sharing sensitive information on state infrastructure, activities and buildings to Pakistan's ISI.

Shehzad Bhatti, an alleged ISI henchman, popular as a social media influencer, has a long history of criminal activities and his name has regularly featured as a handler or mastermind in several recent incidents of spying, grenade attacks, etc. in Punjab.

The arrested trio has been identified as Sachin Khosla, resident of Guru Nanakpura West, Chugitti, Jalandhar; Bharat Verma alias Sunny, resident of Guru Nanakpura West, Chugitti, Jalandhar; and Pardeep Singh, resident of Kamal Vihar, Rama Mandi, Jalandhar.

They accused trio were apprehended near the Niti Shri Flats in Jalandhar.

A case (FIR No. 141) was registered against the three accused on Thursday under Sections 18 and 39 of the UAPA Act 1967, Section 3 of the Official Secrets Act 1923 and Section 111, 3(5) of the BNS 2024, at the Rama Mandi police station in Jalandhar. The police informed that the investigation of the case was being conducted by ACP Central.

Jalandhar Commissioner of Police Satinder Singh said, "The trio was part of an important Pak-recruited module, in touch with Shehzad Bhatti and Hamas Gujjar, to whom they were sending important information regarding government and official buildings, establishments. UAPA has been included in the section as they were up to something and were planning major acts here. Accused Pardeep first got in touch with Shehzad Bhatti through his social media, Instagram page. Their Pak-linked money trail is also under investigation. These are unemployed youths with basic education who have also travelled to other states and furnished information from there. Involvement of 2-3 more people in their network has also come to the fore and is being investigated, with police raiding multiple establishments."

The commissioner added that their involvement in at least one case of a recent bomb blast in the state couldn't be ruled out, and they may have been planning other terror acts in the state.

He added that in-depth investigations of the accused were underway. He said there was a possibility of obtaining more concrete information from them regarding anti-national activities in the region.