New Delhi: Special Cell of the Delhi Police has busted an inter-state terror, arms and espionage module allegedly backed by handlers from Pakistan and its intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence, an official said on Friday.
The team uncovered a covert surveillance network involving solar-powered CCTV cameras installed near sensitive military locations across Punjab and Rajasthan, the official said.
The operation, carried out in two coordinated strikes, led to the arrest of 11 accused and exposed a larger conspiracy linked to the banned outfit Babbar Khalsa International, he said.
The module was engaged in espionage, arms smuggling and reconnaissance of critical defence installations, posing a serious threat to national security.
Investigations revealed that the accused had installed at least nine solar-powered SIMs in CCTV cameras at strategically significant locations, particularly in areas witnessing frequent movement of Army and paramilitary forces.
“These locations included Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Pathankot, Patiala and Moga in Punjab, as well as Ambala in Haryana, Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir, and Bikaner and Alwar in Rajasthan,” Additional Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Pramod Singh Kushwah said.
The officer said these locations are considered highly sensitive due to regular troop movements, proximity to international borders, and the presence of key Army cantonments and logistical corridors. The CCTV feeds were being transmitted in real time to Pakistan-based handlers through mobile applications using SIM cards procured on fake identities.
According to the police, the module was working under direct instructions from Pakistan-based operatives, who were coordinating espionage activities through encrypted communication
platforms.
“The accused were tasked with capturing visuals of defence establishments, monitoring troop movements, and relaying critical information across the border,” said the Additional CP Kushwah.
He said the installation of solar-powered CCTV cameras near such sensitive zones indicates a well-planned and sustained surveillance attempt aimed at tracking movement patterns of security forces.
Two operations led to 11 arrests in an ISI-linked module; CCTV surveillance, arms network exposed, terror plot foiled, with accused recruited via smuggling proceeds and tasked
zwith espionage.