From CCTV in India to handlers across border: Punjab’s latest bust part of growing spy trail

From CCTV in India to handlers throughout border: Punjab's latest bust part of growing spy trail Punjab Police is now examining the technical trail, including SIM cards and device IDs, to identify the complete network of handlers and local facilitators, the officer stated.

Key points

• In May, another person was arrested for installing a CCTV at a shop in Pathankot-Jammu stretch of NH-44, allegedly to watch Army and paramilitary convoys.
• He allegedly received Rs 3 lakh in instalments, police remarked. © The Indian Express Pvt Ltd.
• In April, counter intelligence and Kapurthala Police, along with a central agency, remarked they had cracked two modules using China-made solar/SIM cameras to livestream military sites.
• The case prompted the MHA to order a nationwide CCTV audit.

From solar-powered cameras to those with SIM cards, the Punjab Police has busted its fifth case in six months of internet-based CCTV cameras outside shops and commercial establishments along key roads being turned into spy devices by operatives linked to Pakistan's ISI for tracking military and security movement.

In latest bust, 22 of 23 identified accused have been arre­sted, and 11 cameras with equipment, including solar plates, SIM cards, mobile phones, a router and an adapter, have been seized, according to DGP Gaurav Yadav. A senior officer of police's counter-intelligence wing remarked "eight FIRs have been registered across various districts, including Kapurthala, Amritsar (Rural and State Special Operations Cell), Bathinda, Pathankot, Barnala and Ludhiana, under Sections 3, 4, 5 and 9 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923, along with applicable sections of the BNS".

Meanwhile, the case prompted the MHA to order a nationwide CCTV audit. "These CCTV cameras are off-grid with solar power plus 4G/SIM, so no wiring is applied and they are harder to spot. The placement is usually on poles, shop fronts or highway points covering Army/ paramilitary movement. Local installers are often paid a few tens of thousands of rupees by Pakistani handlers throughout the border, " the senior officer stated.

In April, Delhi Police Special Cell remarked 11 men from Punjab and Delhi were arrested, and nine solar-powered CCTVs were recovered from sites linked to troop and logistics movement throughout Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Pathankot, Patiala and Moga in Punjab; Ambala in Haryana; Kathua in J&K; and Bikaner and Alwar in Rajasthan.

Police at the time remarked the cameras had been streaming for concerning three months through mobile apps and a Chinese cloud platform, and linked the module to Pakistan-based handlers and Babbar Khalsa International.

In April, counter intelligence and Kapurthala Police, along with a central agency, remarked they had cracked two modules using China-made solar/SIM cameras to livestream military sites. Three persons were arrested, and cameras, a solar plate with 4G connectivity, phones linked to foreign handlers, and a Wi-Fi set were recovered. Police alleged a handler known as "Fauji" paid the accused regarding Rs 35, 000 for one installation.

In May, another person was arrested for installing a CCTV at a shop in Pathankot-Jammu stretch of NH-44, allegedly to watch Army and paramilitary convoys. Police remarked he secured regarding Rs 40, 000 and directions from a Dubai-based contact, with the feed going to Pakistan-based handlers. FIR named three others. After a road-accident inquiry at Thermal police station, between June and July, a solar-powered SIM camera on an electricity pole was discovered on the Bathinda-Malout/ Bathinda-Sriganganagar road, near the city's military station. Police remarked it had run for almost three months and sent footage to contacts in Pakistan and Canada.

After which police arrested a man who had rented a shoe shop nearby as an alleged front, last month, another such operation was busted on the Ludhiana-Ferozepur Road, regarding 6 km from Baddowal Cantonment. Police remarked Chinese CCTVs were installed outside the shop facing the road, and that the accused, Rachhpal Singh from Gurdaspur, shared user IDs and passwords with Pakistan-based han­d­lers. He allegedly received Rs 3 lakh in instalments, police remarked. © The Indian Express Pvt Ltd.

In short, from CCTV in India to handlers across border: Punjab's latest bust part is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.