Hapur (UP), Mar 19: Two men suspected to be linked to a Pakistan based gangster network have been arrested from the Dhaulana area of Hapur district for allegedly sharing sensitive information about key locations and religious sites, police said on Thursday.
The accused, identified as Azeem Rana from Dhaulana and Azad Rajput from Meerut district, were taken into custody by local police, who also recovered two mobile phones from them.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Rana operated a dry fruits stall in Delhi, while Rajput worked as a contractor in Gurugram. Officials said the duo had been in contact since December 2025 with an ISI-backed network associated with Pakistan-based gangster Shahzad Bhatti through social media platforms.
During questioning, the accused reportedly admitted to sharing photos, videos, and location details of a metro station area in west Delhi, nearby temples, and adjoining residential localities. Similar inputs related to a temple in Greater Noida’s Bisrakh area were also allegedly passed on to their handlers.
Police said the information was shared on instructions received via messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, raising concerns about possible reconnaissance activities targeting religious sites. Authorities suspect the data could have been intended for planning a larger attack.
The arrests followed inputs from central intelligence agencies, after which multiple agencies, including the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), joined the investigation. Officials are now working to identify other members of the network and trace further links associated with the accused.