NIA to probe ISI-linked CCTV spy case; wider network, foreign funding under lens
National Investigation Agency took over probe into ISI-linked spy network using CCTV cameras across India, uncovered by Ghaziabad police, to examine espionage, funding, and national security breaches involving sensitive locations
New Delhi: The busting of the ISI’s spy network that used CCTV cameras to gather live feed of sensitive locations in various parts of the country will now be probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The case was first cracked by the Ghaziabad police, and investigations revealed that the network was widespread, and hence the need for an NIA probe.
NIA officials say that the case details are being analysed. The agency would probe several angles of this case and also check whether any hostile Intelligence agency was involved. The identity of foreign handlers, too, would be examined, NIA officials say.
The police probe found that solar-powered CCTV cameras had been installed at railway stations. Investigations also revealed that plans were afoot to install such cameras in other sensitive locations as well.
Officials say that the NIA would now probe if the surveillance activity was only restricted to sensitive and crowded locations, or if it was aimed at gathering data relating to the movement of troops as well. The possibility of these cameras being used to collect information relating to railway logistics and defence-linked infrastructure will also be probed by the NIA.
An Intelligence Bureau official said that this network was busted in the nick of time. The NIA taking over the case only signals that this racket could have spread to many other places as well. The matter is an extremely serious one when it comes to national security, and the agencies will leave no stone unturned to unearth all possible information.
Officials say Pakistan’s ISI has been on overdrive mode since the conduct of Operation Sindoor by the Indian armed forces when a significant number of terror infrastructure was hit. The ISI has since ramped up its espionage network to gather data, especially about the military.
The official said that while the ISI has been on overdrive mode, the Indian agencies have been one-up on most occasions. The arrest of numerous persons who had been honey-trapped by the ISI was a significant breakthrough. The busting of the influencer network, which was making pro-Pakistan videos while also gathering sensitive information, was also a major success story for the Indian security agencies.
The NIA probe, according to another official, will focus on the pan-India network of this module. The operations of this module go beyond Ghaziabad, Sonipat, Delhi and the surrounding areas. The targets of this module were multiple railway stations and defence installations of other states.
The NIA has jurisdiction to probe cases across the country, and hence, this probe is crucial to keep sensitive information relating to national security safe. In addition to gathering information about the role of a hostile Intelligence agency and the role of the foreign handlers, the NIA would also check to see how much information has been leaked. This is important since the damage that has been done has to be rectified and the information about the sensitive locations that has gone out must be secured, officials say.
Further, the NIA would probe the funding trail, with investigators suspecting that money was routed from Pakistan to India to install CCTV cameras. It was also found that the ISI-backed handlers were paid Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 for installing each camera.
The NIA has sought all details relating to the probe from the Ghaziabad police, and formal investigations will commence. The Ghaziabad police initially cracked the case last month after Intelligence inputs suggested that videos and live footage of strategically sensitive locations were being recorded and transmitted to handlers in Pakistan. The breakthrough in this case came when the police arrested Suhail Malik alias Romeo, who originally hails from Bijnor.
Following this, the police arrested Iram alias Mehak, Praveen, Raj Valmiki, Shiva Valmiki, and Ritik Gangwar.
