Punjab Police bust third trans-border espionage case in less than month

CHANDIGARH: Punjab Police have arrested a man from Pathankot town on charges of spying for Pakistan-based handlers, officials said on Thursday.

During questioning, the accused Baljit Singh revealed that the entire operation was being directed by a handler operating from Dubai. For espionage, he was given a sum of Rs 40,000.

This was the third trans-border espionage module busted by the police in less than a month.

In the latest case, Baljit Singh, a resident of Chakk Dhariwal village, had installed a CCTV camera at a shop located along the National Highway 44 to keep tabs on the movement of the army and paramilitary forces, and was transmitting the live feed to Pakistan-based handlers, a police official said.

During questioning, the accused confessed to the crime and said he installed an internet-based CCTV camera in January.

Senior Superintendent of Police Daljinder Singh Dhillon said the accused was passing on sensitive movement details from the highway stretch in Sujanpur. The accused allegedly carried out the activities to fund his drug addiction.

Dhillon said the names of his three associates have come to light during the investigation, and further arrests are expected in the case.

Last month, the police had busted two ISI-backed espionage modules using high-tech, China-made CCTV cameras to transmit feeds of sensitive military locations to Pakistan-based handlers.

One module was busted by Counter Intelligence Jalandhar with the arrest of one operative and recovery of a Chinese CCTV camera along with a USB connecting solar plate with 4G connectivity from his possession, while the other module was dismantled by Kapurthala police in a joint operation with a central agency, resulting in the arrest of two individuals and recovery of four mobile phones linked to foreign handlers.