The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested three men and apprehended a juvenile from Punjab for allegedly plotting to kill an Army or police official in Lucknow on the instructions of a Pakistan-based handler linked to the banned Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN).The suspects were allegedly promised Rs 3 lakh for carrying out the targeted killing and had been instructed to record the attack and send the video to their handler in Pakistan.A foreign-made pistol and 20 cartridges were recovered during the operation.Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Amitabh Yash said the arrests were made following intelligence inputs about a suspected conspiracy involving youths from Punjab and a Pakistan-based operative identified as 'Rana Bhai'. "We received intelligence that, on the instructions of a Pakistan-based handler, Rana Bhai, some youths from Punjab were conspiring to carry out a targeted killing of a police or Army personnel in Lucknow," the senior cop was quoted as saying by PTI.The arrested men have been identified as Gagandeep Singh (26), a resident of Mehta Pind in Amritsar; Rajat Kumar (19), from Himatpur in Amritsar; and Krish (21), a resident of Dera Baba in Gurdaspur. The juvenile was also taken into the ATS's supervision.

The arrests were carried out in Lucknow on October 30, 2026.According to the preliminary investigation, the accused were allegedly in contact with Rana Bhai through Instagram and WhatsApp.The handler had assigned them the task of killing an Army or police official and recording the incident as evidence of the execution of the assignment.The group reportedly travelled from Amritsar through Delhi and reached Lucknow around midnight on October 29.The handler allegedly transferred Rs 2,585 towards their travel expenses. After arriving in the city, the accused recorded a video of the railway station and shared it with the handler.Investigators have also found that a local associate in Lucknow allegedly arranged accommodation and supplied the group with weapons and ammunition.The ATS suspects that the weapons had originated in Pakistan and were delivered through members of the network.

The handler reportedly transferred another Rs 2,500 on two occasions over two days to meet the group's expenses.The accused were promised Rs 3 lakh after successfully executing the killing. They had also been instructed to escape to Nepal following the attack to evade law enforcement agencies.During the investigation, the ATS examined the mobile phones recovered from the accused and found several suspicious conversations, including chats with foreign-registered numbers.The devices reportedly contained WhatsApp accounts activated through virtual numbers, videos and location details relating to reconnaissance of sensitive establishments.

The material had allegedly been shared with the Pakistan-based handler.The senior cop said that important evidence had been recovered from the accused's mobile phones, including suspicious chats, videos and material related to reconnaissance of sensitive establishments and sharing their locations with the handler.He also disclosed that Gagandeep had previously been booked in an Arms Act case in Punjab.The ATS is now examining the financial transactions linked to the suspected conspiracy, besides investigating the alleged role of local facilitators, weapon suppliers and other associates.- EndsWith PTI inputs