Jaipur: Hanumangarh police arrested a 20-year-old man for allegedly maintaining contact with Pakistan-based gangster and terror suspect Shehzad Bhatti through social media and sharing videos and locations of police stations with him. It prompted investigators to probe whether he was part of a larger cross-border network.SP Narendra Meena said the accused, Krish Rai, a resident of Hanumangarh town, was allegedly in touch with Bhatti for a considerable period through Instagram and WhatsApp. Police claimed to have recovered digital evidence suggesting that Rai not only followed Bhatti’s social media accounts but also actively interacted with and amplified his online content.The arrest followed specific intelligence inputs received on June 24 regarding the accused’s suspicious online activities. Examination of his mobile phone allegedly revealed repeated communication with Bhatti.Investigators alleged that the accused shared the locations of Hanumangarh Town police station and Raisinghnagar police station with Bhatti. Police also claimed that he recorded videos of both police stations on his mobile phone and transmitted them through social media platforms. Besides sharing location details, the accused allegedly circulated Bhatti’s posts relating to weapons and other content through his own social media accounts.“We are investigating whether his role was confined to maintaining contact through social media or whether he was part of a wider network. Every digital trail and communication is being examined,” an officer said.Officials said investigators are also examining whether the accused’s activities have any connection with the recent grenade attack on a police station in Punjab. However, they clarified that no direct link has been established so far and the probe is at a preliminary stage.Police pointed out that this is the third such arrest in Hanumangarh in recent months. Jaswant Kumar and Sunil Kumar were arrested on March 24 and April 6, respectively, for allegedly maintaining contact with Bhatti.Security agencies have stepped up surveillance in Hanumangarh following intelligence gathered during an investigation in Ambala around three months ago, in which several suspects were arrested with RDX explosives. During that probe, agencies received inputs suggesting that an improvised explosive device, or IED, was brought to Hanumangarh, remained there for some time and was later retrieved by members of the network.The intelligence inputs raised concerns about the possible presence of a sleeper module in the district. Since then, police have intensified monitoring of social media activity, technical surveillance and intelligence gathering to identify individuals suspected of maintaining contact with Pakistan-based operatives.
