Punjab man arrested for spying; installed CCTV camera, shared Army movements with Pakistan handlers

CHANDIGARH/PATHANKOT: A resident of Punjab’s Pathankot has been arrested on charges of spying for Pakistan-based handlers, police said on Friday.Preliminary investigation found that Baljit Singh, a resident of Chakk Dhariwal village, had installed a CCTV camera at a shop near a bridge on National Highway-44, allegedly to monitor the movement of Army and paramilitary forces, police said.They added that he was reportedly transmitting the live feed to handlers based in Pakistan.During questioning, the accused confessed that he had installed an internet-based CCTV camera at a shop on the Pathankot–Jammu section of NH-44 in January.Police said he was also receiving directions from an unidentified person based in Dubai and had been paid Rs 40,000.The CCTV camera was recovered from his possession, they added.Notably, last month, police had busted two ISI-backed espionage modules allegedly operating from Pakistan, which used high-tech, China-made solar-powered CCTV cameras to transmit live feeds of sensitive military locations to Pakistan-based handlers.Earlier in the first week of May, a CCTV camera mounted atop a pole in Kapurthala’s Model Town turned out to be part of an ISI-controlled spy network monitoring sensitive military locations.The espionage module was exposed after Punjab Police’s counter-intelligence wing busted two ISI-linked modules and arrested three suspects accused of spying on military establishments using solar-powered CCTV cameras. The footage was allegedly transmitted live to Pakistan-based handlers through mobile applications, DGP Gaurav Yadav said.Sources said a Military Intelligence (MI) unit in Punjab provided crucial leads in the case.According to the DGP, the Jalandhar counter-intelligence unit arrested Sukhwinder Singh alias Sukha, while Kapurthala police, along with a central agency, arrested Sona and Sandeep Singh alias Sonu. All three accused are residents of Ferozepur.Police seized a China-made CCTV camera fitted with a solar panel and 4G connectivity in Jalandhar. In Kapurthala, officers recovered a SIM-based CCTV camera, four mobile phones allegedly linked to foreign handlers, and a Wi-Fi device.“These Chinese cameras are ideal for off-grid surveillance as they operate on 4G connectivity and solar power, avoiding the need for traditional wiring,” Yadav said.Kapurthala SSP Gaurav Toora said a Pakistan-based handler identified as “Fauji” had paid Rs 35,000 to the accused to rent a shop in Model Town for installing the spy camera.Police also alleged that Sandeep was involved in drug smuggling and had received Rs 50,000 for distributing one kilogram of heroin sent via drones by the same Pakistani handler.Two FIRs have been registered in Kapurthala and Amritsar under provisions related to sedition, criminal conspiracy and the Official Secrets Act.(With agency inputs)