Mumbai, Oct 14: The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has intensified its operations against the network linked to Pakistan-based Shahzad Bhatti after the latter was declared a terrorist organisation, with intelligence inputs suggesting that around 16 handlers associated with the network are on its hit list.

The handlers reportedly include Amal Gujjar, Abad Jat, Farooq Khokhar, Jaffar Supari, Shani Tiger, Rana Hunain, Hassan Gujjar, Sohail Ahmed alias Sohail Baloch, Sardar Zorasingh alias Dogar, Yawar Khan, Hammad Menon, Sohail Chaudhary, Sheikh Salman, Sarfaraz Dogar, Abu Musa, Nomi Khan and Munna Zingada.

According to intelligence inputs, the handlers are allegedly attempting to create unrest in India through their network, with several members believed to be active within the country. Young people are reportedly being lured into the network through tasks such as recording videos of specific locations, putting up posters promoting terror activities and sharing information, including the contact details of ministers.

In return, the youths are allegedly offered money, weapons or opportunities to travel abroad. Investigating agencies are closely monitoring these activities, and individuals interacting with members of the network could come under scrutiny. Authorities may also initiate legal action under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), depending on the nature of the activities and available evidence.

Shahzad Bhatti and his handlers reportedly face more than 100 cases across Delhi, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Telangana, Maharashtra and Punjab. Punjab accounts for the highest number, with 25 cases, including 20 registered under the UAPA, according to the information available.

The Maharashtra ATS has appealed to citizens to exercise caution while interacting with unknown or suspicious individuals on social media. It has also advised parents to monitor their children’s online activities and remain alert to sudden changes in their behaviour.

The agency has warned people against offers promising easy money, noting that seemingly harmless tasks assigned by strangers could potentially be linked to larger terror-related activities.

Citizens have also been urged not to believe or circulate rumours that could threaten national unity or disturb law and order. The ATS has asserted that those involved in anti-national activities will face action under the law.

Earlier in September, the Union government declared the Shahzad Bhatti Network a terrorist organisation under the UAPA, according to a notification issued by the Union Home Ministry.

The ministry said the organisation was involved in the cross-border smuggling of arms, explosives and narcotics, besides allegedly radicalising youths and petty criminals and drawing them into terrorist activities.

The network had also allegedly disseminated hateful digital content targeting India’s democratic institutions and communal harmony.

The Home Ministry said the designation was part of the government’s policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Washim, Oct 14: Four women were arrested for stealing gold jewellery worth Rs 1.5 lakh and cash amounting to Rs 28,000 from a 70-year-old woman travelling on a state transport (ST) bus in Maharashtra’s Washim district, police said on Wednesday.

The police recovered the stolen jewellery and cash and returned them to the elderly woman, identified as Chandrakala Bodkhe.

The incident took place on an ST bus travelling from Mangrulpir to Akola. According to preliminary information, the four accused allegedly targeted the elderly passenger’s bag containing gold jewellery and cash during the journey.

When the bus reached Shelu Bazaar, the four women got off. Other passengers became suspicious, following which Bodkhe checked her bag and discovered that her gold jewellery and a bag containing Rs 28,000 in cash were missing.

The elderly woman raised an alarm and sought help from other passengers.

Upon receiving information about the incident, local police reached the spot and launched an investigation. During the probe, the police learnt that the four women had left the area in an auto-rickshaw.

Acting swiftly, the police pursued the suspects and apprehended all four women. The stolen gold jewellery and cash were recovered from their possession and subsequently handed back to the elderly woman.

The incident highlights the need for vigilance among passengers travelling on crowded public transport, particularly elderly commuters carrying valuables.

In a separate incident, Pune Police had arrested three men from Haryana in connection with nine theft cases reported in the city. The police seized valuables worth approximately Rs 23 lakh following an investigation that involved travelling nearly 4,600 km across several states.

According to the police, the accused had targeted people at crowded locations during Ganeshotsav celebrations and Ganesh immersion processions.

The cases were investigated by Vishrambaug Police, who identified the suspects as residents of Palwal in Haryana. Meanwhile, the Aravalli Police in Gujarat had arrested the three men in connection with another case.

With the assistance of the Gujarat Police, a team from Pune Police took the accused into custody. They were identified as Ajay Samsher Vinodkumar Rupsingh Koli (20), Aman Samsher Anil Kumar Narayansingh Koli (24) and Deepak Samsher Rajubhai Sapsingh (21).

Mumbai, Oct 14: The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray on Wednesday launched a blistering attack against the Centre, accusing it of institutionalising authoritarianism and systematically muzzling public dissent.

The Thackeray camp’s criticism comes in the wake of the Delhi Police’s decision to strip Jantar Mantar of its decades-long status as a designated demonstration venue.

The Thackeray camp in an editorial in the party’s mouthpiece, ‘Samaana’, noted that under new police orders, protests have been pushed far away from the seat of power to remote locations — Ramlila Maidan (4 km away), CBD Ground in Shahdara (12 km away), and Burari Ground (20-21 km away). The party argued this is a deliberate strategy to ensure public agitation creates no ripples in Parliament or the national consciousness.

Highlighting the commercialisation of democratic rights, the editorial pointed out that venues like Ramlila Maidan cost upwards of Rs 1.5 lakh per day, require months of advance booking, and are frequently tied up for religious or ruling-party events. Contrasting this with the accessible, fee-free nature of Jantar Mantar, the editorial labelled the new financial hurdles an exorbitant “Jizya tax” levied on those daring to voice opposition.

Drawing comparisons to India’s freedom struggle — where historic movements thrived around Chandni Chowk, Daryaganj, and near Parliament — the editorial stressed that peaceful assembly is a constitutionally protected right. Pushing voices outside city limits, it argued, signals deep-seated administrative fear. The administrative clampdown follows heightened political friction surrounding demonstrations by groups like the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) demanding accountability over electoral integrity, which triggered heavy security deployments and mass preventive detentions in the capital, the editorial added.

The Thackeray faction asserted that opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, have strongly condemned the crackdown, while legal challenges against the de-notification of Jantar Mantar have rapidly moved to the Delhi High Court.

Firing a stern warning at the Central government, the editorial said, “Jantar Mantar has become a living memorial of agitations. The BJP rule converted a symbol of democracy into a memorial. This memorial of Jantar Mantar will become the tomb of dictatorial tendencies. Naturally, Jantar Mantar will not stay quiet; the present rulers themselves will have to run away.”

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena claimed that when a government begins to “fear its own public, the countdown to its end has officially begun”.