NEW DELHI: The Lawrence Bishnoi syndicate has claimed responsibility for a high-stakes operation targeting alleged ISI henchman Shahzad Bhatti in Portugal. The gang claimed that hooded shooters on a bike had carried out the attack at Bhatti’s accommodation. It remains unclear whether Bhatti was killed. The local police in Portugal is yet to issue a statement. The move came barely two months after the special cell of Delhi Police flagged Bhatti’s growing network in India and arrested three of his henchmen in the case of a grenade attack at a police station in Punjab’s Gurdaspur.
In a social media post made on Sunday, the Bishnoi gang also revealed a previously undisclosed operation against Bhatti in Brazil on June 22, 2025. The Lawrence-Randeep alliance then claimed to have deployed a specialised Mexican mafia team in Tagva Tinga, but narrowly missed the target.Bhatti is identified as a Pakistan-based underworld figure who operates a sophisticated criminal network with deep ties to Pakistan’s intelligence agencies. “He is described as a key proxy for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence, tasked with orchestrating cross-border terror modules and recruiting Indian youth through social media platforms to carry out high-profile strikes,” a senior anti-terror unit officer said.His operations were linked to significant security incidents and various plots targeting high-risk people across India. Beyond terrorism, Bhatti is alleged to command an extensive smuggling syndicate involving arms and narcotics, using his international reach to challenge rival factions like the Bishnoi gang.Bhatti also appears in YouTube videos and acts as a social media influencer to tap Indian youths to work for him. He coordinated operations from Pakistan using encrypted platforms and social media channels, Delhi Police said earlier.He had even tried to recruit Bishnoi a few years ago and eventually released a morphed clip of them having a conversation over a video call after failing to rope him in, a source said.The latest attack, claimed by Bishnoi’s high-ranking associates, Randeep Malik and the US-based Anil Pandit on social media, intended to serve as a warning to those they perceived as adversaries and demonstrate that the group’s reach transcended geographical limits.
