Police bust ISI espionage racket, nine arrested
Sustained investigation followed by relentless raids has yielded results as Uttar Pradesh Police and security agencies picked up nine people, including five minors, in connection with the espionage racket being run by the notorious Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan.
As per the available information, at least nine people, including four adults, were arrested, and five minors aged 15-17 from UP and Bihar were detained, bringing the total in custody to 15.
Ganesh Giri (20, Nepal origin), Vivek Rai/Vivek (18, Purnia, Bihar), Gagan Prajapati (22, Meerut), and Durgesh Nishad (26, Jaunpur/Navi Mumbai) were arrested, while five unnamed juveniles (15-17 years) have been detained for questioning, an official said.
Earlier, Ghaziabad Police had arrested six accused persons, including mastermind Sohail/Suhel Malik and Sane Iram alias Mehek. They are in police custody and being interrogated to get to the bottom of the conspiracy of the Pakistan ISI to infiltrate the solar-powered cameras installed at key locations to monitor the movement of the armed forces. remain in custody. Two key suspects, identified as Naushad Ali, a resident of Muzaffarpur, and Sameer alias Shooter, a resident of Bhagalpur in Bihar, are still absconding.
Police have recovered at least 2 solar-powered SIM-enabled CCTV cameras installed at Delhi Cantonment and Sonipat Railway Station (one streamed live for 18 days), multiple phones, SIMs, and documents from the arrested people.
The probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has found that the ISI-run network was planning over 50 such cameras across India; ISI handlers were paying Rs 500-15,000 per task via WhatsApp to the recruits.
This network was actively planting disguised solar-powered CCTV cameras at critical locations to mount surveillance on Indian Army movements and transmit live feeds directly to handlers in Pakistan.
The operation, led by the Ghaziabad Police Commissioner, revealed a network of approximately 20-25 members, including both young men and women. These individuals had installed hidden CCTVs at high-security sites such as Delhi Cantt Railway Station, Pune Railway Station, and other key military installations-potentially even naval bases. The cameras were cleverly camouflaged with solar panels to evade detection, allowing real-time monitoring of troop movements, which posed a severe risk to India's defence infrastructure. To further avoid raising suspicions, the cell reportedly hired Hindu youths to carry out the installations. This tactic was designed to blend into everyday activities and dodge scrutiny from authorities.
Initially, six persons, Suhel Malik, Iram alias Mahak, Praveen, Raj Valmiki, Shiva Valmiki, and Ritik Gangwar, were arrested. These suspects were allegedly sharing photos, videos, and precise locations of security force bases and railway stations with foreign contacts, receiving payments in return.
Central security agencies in consonance with Uttar Pradesh Police and other state police forces, have launched an intense operation to unravel the full extent of this espionage ring. This well-entrenched ring was busted amid heightened concerns over cross-border intelligence operations, and it has successfully thwarted what could have been a catastrophic breach of national security.
This incident highlights the evolving methods of foreign adversaries in infiltrating India's defences through technology and local recruits.
The unravelling of this module has once again brought the modus operandi of the ISI to identify and entrap foot soldiers by using devious means. A senior official said that one of the easy routes to trap the future recruits is to first spread rumours by unverified social media posts and then start the grooming of the selected targets for initial contact (even a simple friend request on SM platforms).
Influencers and YouTubers such as Jyoti Malhotra were groomed by the ISI for propaganda and gathering intelligence by innocuous travels. These modus operandi involve lower risk, wider reach and targeting tech professionals, students or anyone with a smartphone.
These methods were clearly on display in the Ghaziabad spy ring (15 arrests so far, solar cameras, WhatsApp handlers, and minors involved) — a textbook low-budget technical HUMINT module. Indian agencies (IB, NIA, state police) counter this through raids, SIM tracing, digital forensics, and expulsions from the High Commission. Cases often lead to arrests under the Official Secrets Act.
