In a major multi-state crackdown against the ISI-backed, Pakistan-based Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN) ahead of Independence Day, security agencies busted its terror syndicate and thwarted plans for subversive attacks aimed at disrupting the occasion. In a coordinated operation carried out on August 12, using a real-time intelligence-sharing system with state police forces, they made 254 detentions across 14 states, including 52 in Haryana and 44 in Punjab.Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of detentions at 62, followed by Haryana (52), Delhi (51), Punjab (44), Rajasthan (15), Maharashtra (8), Uttarakhand (5), Karnataka, Gujarat and Bihar (three each), and Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, J&K and Kerala (two each). Fresh FIRs were also registered in Delhi and Karnataka, official sources said.Cumulatively, more than 80 FIRs and over 200 arrests have been recorded against SBN under the UAPA, BNS, Arms Act, NDPS Act and Explosive Substances Act. Recoveries included IEDs, grenades bearing Pakistan Ordnance Factory markings, pistols, live cartridges and CCTV cameras used for espionage, confirming the network’s direct cross-border links.SBN is a Pakistan-based, ISI-backed terror syndicate linked to grenade, IED and petrol bomb attacks, as well as targeted killings across India, sources said.The network has also been paying local operatives to conduct reconnaissance of police, defence and religious sites and to install CCTV cameras for espionage purposes, they added.In a post on X, Union Home Minister Amit Shah lauded the development.“Modi govt destroyed the ISI-backed terror group Shahzad Bhatti Network ahead of Independence Day and thwarted its plans for subversive attacks by arresting more than 200 operatives. Indian security forces ripped apart the network by launching coordinated operations across different locations in 14 states, upholding a brilliant example of India’s zero-tolerance towards terrorism. Substantial recoveries, including IEDs, grenades bearing Pakistan Ordnance Factory markings, pistols, live cartridges and CCTV cameras used for espionage, were made from the ISI-funded group. The network was involved in several terrorist activities,” he said on X.