Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), reportedly infiltrated Chinese-made CCTV systems to monitor Indian military installations and security infrastructure.

According to a report by Hindu BusinessLine, the operation enabled ISI handlers to access live surveillance feeds from sensitive defence sites and central armed police forces (CAPFs) installations across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir for nearly three months.

Senior Delhi Police officials stated that the feeds were routed through nine solar-powered, SIM-enabled devices connected to EseeCloud, a widely used Chinese surveillance platform. The footage was allegedly transmitted to data centres in China before being relayed to handlers in Pakistan.

This covert operation was designed to track troop movements and logistical activity in real time, potentially allowing precise targeting in the event of a future conflict.

The Delhi Police Special Cell uncovered the espionage module during an ongoing investigation, arresting six individuals—three from Punjab and three from Delhi—linked to ISI and Babbar Khalsa International. Nine CCTV cameras were recovered from locations near sensitive defence and security sites close to the Pakistan border.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Pramod Singh Kushwaha confirmed that installations were spread across Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Pathankot, Patiala and Moga in Punjab, Ambala in Haryana, Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir, and Bikaner and Alwar in Rajasthan. These areas were described as highly sensitive due to regular troop movements, proximity to international borders, and the presence of key Army cantonments and logistical corridors.

The devices were installed under the guise of monitoring truck movements in a transportation business. Investigators revealed that a Dubai-based Indian operator led the network, while an ISI handler known by the code name “Captain Rana” supervised the operation. Sleeper cells in Spain, Germany and Dubai were also involved in placing the cameras at designated sites.

The network conducted round-the-clock monitoring of personnel and equipment movements, with funding channelled through UPI accounts, partly sourced from proceeds of smuggled weapons.

The report highlighted that the method bore similarities to tactics allegedly used by Israeli intelligence in Iran. Israeli agencies reportedly hacked Tehran’s traffic camera network over several years, gaining access to live feeds to track senior officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The footage was transmitted to external servers and combined with other intelligence inputs to build detailed “pattern of life” profiles, enabling precise targeting.

BusinessLine