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.
Influencer Sukhveer has a criminal past
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.