For years, Shahzad Bhatti cultivated an image as a social media personality, businessman and self-styled defender of religion. Through videos posted online under the “333” banner, the Pakistani influencer built a following by commenting on religious controversies, influencer feuds and India-Pakistan relations.

Today, Bhatti, believed to be around 45 years old, finds himself at the centre of multiple investigations by Indian security agencies, which allege that the man who insists he is neither a gangster nor a mafia boss has emerged as a key player in a growing cross-border crime and terror network.

On Saturday, the Delhi Police’s Special Cell arrested nine people from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Gujarat for alleged links to Bhatti’s network. According to investigators, they were planning attacks on a historic temple in Delhi, a popular eatery on the Delhi-Sonipat highway and a military installation in Haryana.

The arrests have once again put the spotlight on Bhatti – a man who projects himself as a businessman, social media influencer and nationalist voice who says he speaks on behalf of Islam and Pakistan.

From Pakistan’s Punjab province, Bhatti first came under the scanner of Pakistan’s police in 2013, when cases involving theft and robbery were registered against him. Several other cases followed over the years, including rape allegations that Bhatti denies. His name has also been linked to Lahore’s criminal underworld, particularly figures such as Farrukh Khokhar, although Bhatti has publicly described these ties as “friendships rather than organisational ties”.

Around 2015, Bhatti is believed to have moved to the UAE, where he claims to own a scrap trading business along with agricultural and dairy ventures. His current location remains unclear, but investigators believe he moves between Pakistan and Gulf countries.

Social media rise — and the Lawrence Bishnoi connection

Bhatti was among the social media personalities who benefited from TikTok’s rapid growth in Pakistan after 2018, building a following through videos on religion, nationalism and online controversies. He is identified by his ‘333’ branding on social media, which he insists is not a gang or organised group but a “personal identifier”.

Bhatti cultivated an image as a self-styled defender of religious causes, frequently commenting on blasphemy controversies involving Pakistani influencers, including the April 2025 shooting outside the residence of influencer Rajab Butt.

One of the more intriguing aspects of Bhatti’s public life is his claimed friendship with jailed Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. According to Bhatti, the relationship began after he sought help in addressing alleged anti-Islam content on social media.

The association — which Bhatti once described as a “friendship” — became more widely known after investigators linked him to Zeeshan Akhtar, an alleged Bishnoi aide accused in the October 2024 murder of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique. The relationship, however, appears to have soured over Bishnoi’s anti-Pakistan statements after the Pahalgam terror attack last year.

While Bhatti’s growing social media presence had caught the attention of Indian security agencies, a grenade attack in Punjab’s Jalandhar in March 2024 brought him under sharper focus. The attack, near the residence of influencer Rozer Sandhu in Jalandhar district, was allegedly orchestrated by Bhatti.

Over the last several months, Indian agencies have alleged that Bhatti is linked to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and has been attempting to expand his network in India by radicalising unemployed youth. More than a dozen FIRs have reportedly been registered against Bhatti in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand, with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) also registering some cases. Many invoke provisions relating to acts endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India.

Apart from the latest arrests by the Delhi Police’s Special Cell, Bhatti was also linked to two young men from Madhya Pradesh arrested in April for allegedly planning terror attacks across the Delhi-NCR region.

Maharashtra ATS probe

Among agencies investigating him is the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad. On May 13, the Maharashtra ATS conducted raids at nearly 40 locations across the state and questioned 53 individuals who had allegedly interacted online with social media accounts linked to Bhatti’s network.

While officials said no incriminating material was recovered and no FIRs were registered, they claimed the exercise provided insight into what they described as the network’s online radicalisation model.

According to ATS officials, the network identifies young people expressing frustration with authorities through social media posts.

“They are promised solutions to their problems and given inducements,” an ATS source said. “The recruitment process is gradual, designed to test the willingness of potential recruits. First, they are given small tasks, and once they realise the person is motivated, they are put in a separate group to create law and order problems.”

Officials said the Maharashtra operation was aimed at understanding and monitoring such outreach before it developed into a larger security threat.

“Hence, we keep an eye on suspect social media accounts to ensure they do not lure disgruntled youngsters. It is in that context that we conducted the raids across the state and questioned those in touch with social media accounts linked to Jatt,” the official added.