In a major development, the Punjab State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) has arrested two social media influencers accused of glorifying Pakistan-based terrorist and fugitive gangster Shahzad Bhatti on their platforms. The arrest of 2 social media influencers from Punjab is being seen as a big crackdown by the SSOC against ISI-sponsored anti-national propaganda.
As per reports, the arrested influencers have been identified as Manveer Singh alias Mani Moosewala, a resident of village Ghangas in Ludhiana’s Payal tehsil, and Sukhveer Singh, a resident of Mansa. The Police officials have stated that both Mani and Sukhveer were actively promoting terrorism-related content and aiding Bhatti’s digital outreach.
Preliminary investigations reveal that the two started uploading controversial content to attract followers and build social media fame. Over time, however, they became a part of Pakistani Don Shahzad Bhatti’s extremist network. Authorities are now probing their connections to other individuals, possibly radicalized or recruited by Bhatti.
Reports suggest that Sukhveer Singh had previously been booked in a 2020 murder case and served nearly two years in Bathinda and Mansa jails. After his release, he rebranded himself as a social media influencer under the Instagram handle “Sukhveer_khipal,” gaining a significant following.
On the other hand, Manveer Singh, originally a bike mechanic and later a photographer, became popular online via his Instagram handle “mani_moosewala".
The investigation found that both accused had uploaded multiple videos glorifying Shahzad Bhatti, a gangster-turned-terrorist operating out of Dubai and backed by Pakistan's ISI. Their content not only supported terrorism-related ideologies but also included direct tagging and communication with Bhatti, confirming active collaboration. A few months back, a grenade attack took place at BJP leader and former minister Manoranjan Kalia's house in Jalandhar. Shahzad Bhatti's name was also linked to it.