4 min readDehradunApr 10, 2026 06:28 PM IST
The Special Task Force in Dehradun on Friday arrested a man for allegedly being connected to a Pakistani terrorist and sharing information on prominent government and military infrastructure in the city.
The arrested person, identified as Vikrant Kashyap (29), is accused of having links with Shahzad Bhatti, a Pakistani terrorist who is part of the outfit known as Al Barq Brigade.
The STF has claimed that the accused was sending locations and video footage of government and military establishments in Dehradun to Pakistan and planned to expand Tehreek-e-Taliban Hindustan (TTH) in India. The little-known outfit had allegedly taken responsibility for shooting two police officers at a checkpost near the India-Pakistan border in Punjab in February.
In the early hours of Friday, the STF team arrested Kashyap, a resident of Dehradun who lived in Punjab between 2024 and 2025. The team allegedly recovered a .32 bore pistol, seven live cartridges, and a spray paint can, with which he allegedly painted TTH on the walls of multiple buildings.
Bhatti has allegedly been involved in criminal activities, including bomb-making and the supply of illegal arms and ammunition to India, Dubai, the US, and Canada. (Special arrangement photo)
“The accused was in continuous contact via Instagram and WhatsApp with Bhatti and his associate, Rana. During interrogation, the suspect revealed that he was a fan of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala and was angered by his murder, wanting revenge. He came across posts by Shahzad Bhatti related to revenge for Moosewala’s killing and got influenced and began following Bhatti on Instagram, later coming into direct contact with him,” an officer said.
Bhatti allegedly assigned him multiple tasks, including recording videos of key locations and police stations in Dehradun and nearby areas, filming important institutions such as ISBT, police headquarters, and other government buildings and sending the footage, and he was told these locations would be targeted for bomb blasts, the officer said.
Kashyap was also asked to write TTH on the walls of important locations to spread fear and promote the organisation, the STF has claimed. He also allegedly shared location information and video footage of Jhajhra police outpost with handlers in Pakistan and was assigned to throw a hand grenade at members of an organisation in Delhi and at a Supreme Court advocate. He was allegedly promised money and relocation to Dubai via Nepal. The accused had been working in an industry that manufactures truck body parts.
Story continues below this ad
Kashyap was asked to write TTH on the walls of important locations to spread fear and promote the organisation.
Earlier, Bhatti had been allegedly involved in the November grenade attack outside the City Police Station in Punjab’s Gurdaspur. Bhatti has allegedly been involved in criminal activities, including bomb-making and the supply of illegal arms and ammunition to India, Dubai, the US, and Canada. A probe by the Delhi Police had earlier purportedly revealed that this was a structured terror module that allegedly uses monetary incentives, remote instructions, and disposable foot soldiers to carry out grenade attacks in public places in India.
Bhatti had also been linked to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, but their relationship allegedly soured after the Pahalgam terror attack in April. A purported social media post written by the Bishnoi gang stated that they would enter Pakistan to eliminate those responsible for killing innocent people in Pahalgam. Following this, Bhatti released a video on his Instagram account, claiming that Lawrence could not even kill a bird in any country. In the video, he also claimed that he had proof of who directed Lawrence to kill Siddiqui and Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala. He said that if anyone spoke against his country (Pakistan), they would no longer be his friend. He also dared Lawrence and his gang to come to Pakistan.
