From CCTV in India to handlers across border: Punjab’s latest bust part of growing spy trail

Punjab Police has apprehended 22 out of 23 suspects linked to the recent surge of internet-based CCTV cameras being covertly used by operatives associated with Pakistan's ISI to monitor military and security activities. The latest operation led to the seizure of 11 cameras, along with various pieces of equipment including solar panels, SIM cards, mobile phones, a router, and an adapter.

The Directorate General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav confirmed that eight FIRs have been registered across districts like Kapurthala, Amritsar, Bathinda, Pathankot, Barnala, and Ludhiana under the Official Secrets Act and other relevant sections.

The police are now scrutinizing the technical details, such as SIM cards and device IDs, to fully map out the network of handlers and local facilitators involved. This ongoing investigation follows a pattern observed across multiple states, where cheap solar-powered, SIM/4G-enabled cameras are strategically placed near military routes, cantonments, or railway stations. These cameras, which operate off-grid using solar power and 4G/SIM, are difficult to spot and transmit live feeds to handlers abroad.

The first major bust occurred in Ghaziabad in March, where police arrested members of a module accused of installing solar-powered, SIM-enabled cameras at the Delhi Cantt and Sonipat railway stations. These cameras were allegedly used to film military sites and transmit photos, videos, and GPS data to handlers overseas. This incident prompted the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to order a nationwide CCTV audit.

In April, the Delhi Police Special Cell arrested 11 individuals from Punjab and Delhi, recovering nine solar-powered CCTVs from sites associated with troop and logistics movement across several states, including Punjab, Haryana, J&K, and Rajasthan. Police linked this module to handlers based in Pakistan through China-based cloud platforms.

Similar operations in April resulted in the arrest of three persons and recovery of cameras, a solar plate with 4G connectivity, phones connected to foreign handlers, and a Wi-Fi set. The alleged handler, known as "Fauji," paid the accused around Rs 35,000 for each installation.

In May, another individual was arrested for installing a CCTV at a shop on the Pathankot-Jammu stretch of NH-44, allegedly to monitor Army and paramilitary convoys. The payment for this installation reportedly amounted to Rs 40,000, received from a Dubai-based contact, with the feed reaching Pakistan-based handlers. Between June and July, a solar-powered SIM camera on an electricity pole near a military station was found after a road-accident inquiry.

This camera had been operational for nearly three months, transmitting footage to handlers in Pakistan and Canada.