With a special focus on the challenges posed by Pakistan-based gangster Shahzad Bhatti’s network, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday held a high-level coordination meeting with the police chiefs of seven northern states in Chandigarh to chalk out a joint strategy against organised crime syndicates, interstate gang networks and the terror-gangster nexus.Gangster-turned-terror handler Shahzad BhattiThis was the third consecutive annual meeting hosted by the NIA ever since the practice was started to bring more synergy between the central and the state police forces to meet the organised crime challenges.According to a senior Punjab Police functionary present in the meeting, the discussion was held on the increasing supply of weapons, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and drugs from across the border, and how Pakistan’s spy agency (ISI) is using gangsters in north India to spread terror through Bhatti gang.“A special session was held on the syndicate related to Shahzad Bhatti, highlighting how the gangster, on the direction of ISI, is using its aides in the north Indian states to spread terror,” said the official.Chaired by NIA chief Rakesh Aggarwal, the meeting was attended by the directors general of police (DGPs) of Punjab and Chandigarh, DGPs’ representatives from Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan and the representatives from the other central agencies.Bhatti has emerged as one of the most prominent cross-border crime figures under the scanner of Indian security agencies for the past more than one year. A gangster-turned-terror handler who allegedly operates from Pakistan and the Gulf region, Bhatti uses social media and encrypted communication platforms to recruit operatives and coordinate criminal activities in India. Recently, the Delhi Police arrested his seven aides from different states with a huge cache of arms.Agencies claim Bhatti works with support from ISI handlers, such as Abid Jatt, Ajmal Gujjar and Yawar Khan. Authorities say the network operates through social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. It identifies vulnerable youth in India, initiates conversations through private messaging and then connects them to Bhatti via video calls.According to the NIA and state police investigations, Bhatti is accused of masterminding several attacks in north India. He has been named in the 2025 grenade attack on the residence of Jalandhar-based YouTuber Roger Sandhu. He has also been chargesheeted in the IED car bomb blast at Baldev Nagar police station in Ambala, and was also the mastermind of a grenade attack at a police station in Nalagarh of Himachal Pradesh in association of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI).Investigators say his operatives were tasked with extortion, targeted killings, grenade attacks besides targeting police establishments.Officials said the NIA, Delhi Police special cell, Punjab Police and several state anti-terror agencies have launched multiple investigations into Bhatti’s alleged network. According to officials, the meeting focused on strengthening intelligence sharing, improving inter-state coordination and ensuring faster action against gangster syndicates operating across state borders, including those related to Bhatti and others.“It was also discussed that, with Punjab and Uttar Pradesh about to witness elections, Bhatti’s gang may fan communal tension in order to create disturbances in the states,” said another official who attended the meeting.