Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has reportedly increased its annual espionage budget directed against India to nearly ₹1,300 crore following Operation Sindoor, reflecting what intelligence officials describe as a more aggressive effort to infiltrate the country's military establishment, IANS reported.

The enhanced allocation is primarily focused on building an extensive Human Intelligence (HUMINT) network within the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force (IAF).

According to Intelligence Bureau officials, the ISI's annual spending on espionage activities targeting India previously stood between ₹800 crore and ₹900 crore. Following Operation Sindoor, however, Pakistan is said to have substantially expanded these allocations in an attempt to recruit high-value assets within India's defence services.

Officials indicate that the Navy and Air Force have become the primary focus of Pakistani intelligence operations. Efforts are reportedly centred on personnel with access to sensitive information, with recruitment attempts often involving honey traps, social engineering methods and the exploitation of security vulnerabilities within establishments handling classified material.

The financial incentives being offered to potential targets have also risen sharply. Intelligence sources claim that individuals identified as high-value targets are now being offered between ₹15 lakh and ₹25 lakh, compared with approximately ₹10 lakh to ₹15 lakh before Operation Sindoor. The increase reflects the growing costs associated with establishing and maintaining covert intelligence networks.

Officials note that the ISI has sought for years to expand its HUMINT presence inside India's armed forces. However, they believe the current level of effort exceeds that seen during earlier espionage investigations involving naval personnel in 2015, 2019 and 2021. Intelligence agencies reportedly view recent cases uncovered in October 2026 as particularly serious because they suggest a sustained and organised attempt to penetrate critical defence structures.

A major breakthrough came through a coordinated operation involving Andhra Pradesh Police in Visakhapatnam, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and intelligence agencies. The operation resulted in the arrest of 18 individuals accused of sharing sensitive information linked to the Visakhapatnam Naval Dockyard with Pakistani Intelligence Operatives.

Security officials are particularly concerned that 13 of the 18 accused are serving Indian Navy personnel. Investigators believe the scale of the case demonstrates Pakistan's determination to establish long-term access to information relating to India's naval capabilities and operational activities.

The latest case follows a series of earlier espionage investigations. In 2001, four naval personnel were arrested for allegedly passing sensitive information. A significant honey-trap investigation was also conducted in 2016.

Later, in December 2019, security agencies launched Operation Dolphin Nose to dismantle a Pakistan-linked espionage network that allegedly operated across the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam, the Western Naval Command in Mumbai and facilities at Karwar.

Officials believe Islamabad's current intelligence drive is linked to lessons drawn from Operation Sindoor and reflects a desire to obtain a continuous flow of military information rather than isolated intelligence inputs. Investigators say Pakistan appears to be pursuing a long-term strategy in which recruited personnel provide information on a regular basis in exchange for ongoing financial rewards.

Intelligence assessments indicate that, beyond recruitment payments, the expanded espionage budget also covers logistics networks, SIM card infrastructure, surveillance systems, digital operations and media influence activities. The operational cost of building and sustaining such networks reportedly reaches up to ₹40,000 per individual, depending on the nature of the mission.

Security agencies further assess that the Indian Navy remains Pakistan's highest-priority target, followed by the IAF. The objective is believed to be the monitoring of capabilities, deployments, operational patterns and broader preparedness levels within both services.

Officials have also expressed concern regarding the wider financial mechanisms supporting these activities. According to intelligence assessments, Pakistan has allocated approximately PKR 3 trillion towards defence spending, a figure that has attracted domestic scrutiny.

As a result, some intelligence officials believe alternative funding channels, including narcotics trafficking, arms smuggling, ammunition smuggling and counterfeiting operations, may increasingly be leveraged to support espionage activities targeting India.

Recent intelligence reports and earlier investigations have highlighted the continued use of social media platforms, encrypted communication applications, monetary inducements and honey-trap operations by Pakistani handlers seeking access to sensitive military information. The latest arrests suggest that such methods remain central to espionage efforts directed at India's defence establishment.

Officials warn that the emerging HUMINT architecture poses a significant security challenge because it appears designed for long-term penetration rather than a single intelligence objective.

By cultivating sustained relationships with serving personnel, Pakistan could potentially obtain a continuous stream of operational and strategic information, providing a persistent intelligence advantage across both naval and air domains.

Agencies