Isi Terror Module Mumbai Arrests Pakistan Shahzad Bhatti

They thought it was easy money. They never imagined the matter would escalate to this level, claimed a neighbour of Sajid Shaikh alias Arbaz Khan, one of the eight people arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell for allegedly being part of a terror module lin... “They thought it was easy money. They never imagined the matter would escalate to this level,” claimed a neighbour of Sajid Shaikh alias Arbaz Khan, one of the eight people arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell for allegedly being part of a terror module linked to Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI and a Pakistani gangster. Investigators allege the network was run by Shahzad Bhatti, a Pakistan-based social media influencer who built a following through religious commentary and nationalist videos under the “333” banner, and who Indian agencies believe has been attempting to expand his network in India by radicalising unemployed youth and offering financial inducements to carry out terror-related activities. Sajid, from Mumbai, and Tauqeer Shaikh from Mumbra in Thane district are among those arrested in the case. Their relatives, however, insist the two had no intention of carrying out terror activities and were drawn into the racket through online contacts offering money transfers. Sajid Shaikh’s maternal uncle said Sajid had struggled with drug addiction for years and had been thrown out of the house around four months ago because of his substance abuse. Tauqeer Shaikh’s family earlier lived in Kurla (East) before shifting to Mumbra a few years ago. A neighbour said Sajid and Tauqeer had known each other for several years and would often meet. Sajid lost his father at a young age, while his mother died of tuberculosis around six years ago. Following her death, he stayed with his grandmother in a rented house near the Burma railway track in the Nehru Nagar area of Kurla (East). Speaking to The Indian Express, Sajid’s maternal uncle Iqbal Shaikh said, “Arbaz had developed a drug addiction at a very young age when he was around 15-years old. In an effort to help him overcome the habit, I admitted him to a de-addiction centre in Titwala. He was there for almost four months but the treatment did not yield any significant improvement.” When Sajid’s grandmother passed away, he returned for her last rites but never went back to the rehabilitation centre. “My sister was suffering from tuberculosis. Before her death, she asked me to take care of her son. That is why I sent him to the de-addiction centre and spent money on his treatment. But when there was no improvement, I gradually lost hope,” his uncle said. “I tried my best to put him on the right path, but he was found to be under the influence of drugs and due to which irregular at work. I eventually told him to leave the house if he was unwilling to quit his addiction. Around four months ago, he left my house, and since then I have no idea where he has been living or