NEW DELHI, May 22: The police in Punjab’s Pathankot have blown the lid off a suspected espionage network and arrested a man allegedly for sharing sensitive information on Indian Army and paramilitary movements with handlers in Pakistan.
Baljit Singh, alias Bittu, a resident of Chakk Dhariwal village, had installed a CCTV camera at a shop near a bridge on the Pathankot-Jammu stretch of the National Highway-44 to allegedly keep an eye on the movement of the army and paramilitary forces, the police said.
The surveillance feed was transmitted electronically to operatives based in Pakistan and abroad, senior police officer Daljinder Singh Dhillon said. During questioning, Singh confessed that he had installed an internet-based CCTV camera at a shop on the highway near Sujanpur in January. He was also getting directions from an unknown person in Dubai. He was given Rs 40,000.
A CCTV camera, along with an internet WiFi router, was recovered from his possession. The police action came after they received intelligence about suspicious activity along the Pathankot-Jammu stretch of the highway. The Sujanpur police then filed a case against four persons. Besides Singh, the case was filed against Vikramjit Singh alias Vikka, Balwinder Singh alias Vicky, and Taranpreet Singh alias Tannu. Police said the accused were engaged in criminal and anti-national activities.
Officials said a detailed report has been sent to senior authorities. Further investigation is underway to map the cross-border linkages of the network and trace the source of funding behind the alleged espionage. Raids are underway to arrest the remaining accused.
The Punjab Police had last month busted two espionage modules backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which were using high-tech, China-made solar-powered CCTV cameras to transmit live feeds of sensitive military locations to Pakistan-based handlers.
A module was busted by the Counter Intelligence Wing in Jalandhar with the arrest of an operative and recovery of a China-made CCTV camera along with a USB-connected solar plate with 4G connectivity from his possession.
The other module was dismantled by the Kapurthala Police in a joint operation with a central agency, resulting in the arrest of two individuals and the recovery of four mobile phones linked to foreign handlers, and also one SIM-based CCTV camera and one WiFi set.
Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said these modules were strategically installing SIM-based and solar-powered CCTV cameras at various locations to monitor sensitive sites, including establishments linked to defense forces, and transmitting live footage to Pakistan-based handlers through mobile applications. “These Chinese cameras are ideal for off-grid surveillance as they operate via 4G connectivity and solar power, bypassing the need for traditional wiring,” he said.
(Rohit Kumar)
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