📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Dr Shahzad Bhatti
Crime
Pakistani Recruiter Shahzad Bhatti’s Online Terror Network Targeting Indian Youth Unveiled
✍️ NDTV
🗓 20 Aug 2026, 06:39 AM
👁 4
NDTV Datafy’s investigation reveals how Pakistani handler Shahzad Bhatti has constructed a sprawling social‑media network to recruit Indian youngsters for terrorist activities.
NDTV Datafy has mapped the digital footprint of Shahzad Bhatti, a Pakistani operative known for coordinating extremist recruitment across South Asia. By tracing hashtags, private groups and cross‑platform links, the data team identified a layered network that spans mainstream platforms such as Facebook and Instagram to encrypted messaging apps.
The analysis shows that Bhatti’s strategy hinges on targeting Indian students and recent graduates through tailored propaganda, religious rhetoric and promises of financial support. He uses a combination of charismatic video messages and peer‑to‑peer referrals to draw young users into closed circles where radical content is gradually intensified.
According to the report, the network comprises thousands of accounts, many of which appear to be bots or duplicate profiles designed to amplify reach. The investigators also noted coordinated campaigns that exploit current socio‑political grievances to make extremist narratives appear locally relevant.
NDTV Datafy warns that the ease of online recruitment poses a growing security challenge for India, urging law‑enforcement agencies to monitor digital channels and for families to remain vigilant about the online activities of youth.
The analysis shows that Bhatti’s strategy hinges on targeting Indian students and recent graduates through tailored propaganda, religious rhetoric and promises of financial support. He uses a combination of charismatic video messages and peer‑to‑peer referrals to draw young users into closed circles where radical content is gradually intensified.
According to the report, the network comprises thousands of accounts, many of which appear to be bots or duplicate profiles designed to amplify reach. The investigators also noted coordinated campaigns that exploit current socio‑political grievances to make extremist narratives appear locally relevant.
NDTV Datafy warns that the ease of online recruitment poses a growing security challenge for India, urging law‑enforcement agencies to monitor digital channels and for families to remain vigilant about the online activities of youth.