I-Day terror plot foiled: ISI-backed ring busted, 253 operatives held across 14 states

BREAKING: Indian authorities foil an alleged ISI-backed terror plot ahead of Independence Day, arresting 253 operatives of the Shahzad Bhatti Gang across 14 states.

Two hundred and fifty three arrests across fourteen Indian states, in one sweep.

Indian authorities say they've broken up a terror plot aimed at Independence Day, the country's biggest national moment, celebrated every August at the Red Fort in Delhi. The group they name is the Shahzad Bhatti Gang, and officials allege it was backed by Pakistan's intelligence agency, the ISI. That accusation matters, because it takes this from a police story to a diplomatic one.

Think about the scale for a second. Fourteen states is most of the map. Coordinating that many arrests at once means agencies were watching this network for a long time before they moved, and chose the week before I-Day to close the net.

Details are still thin, no charges published yet, no word from Islamabad. But 253 people in custody on an ISI allegation, days before India's most symbolic date, is the kind of story that doesn't stay quiet.

This is Sara White, reporting for HIT.

Source Read the original reporting at timesofindia.indiatimes.com