AI Generated Summary
- Rashpal Singh, a resident of Sarafkot village in Gurdaspur, was arrested on August 27 after investigators found that CCTV cameras installed by him at a rented commercial premises in Ludhiana were allegedly being accessed by handlers linked to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
- The investigation into an alleged espionage operation involving Wi-Fi-enabled surveillance cameras near a military establishment in Ludhiana has widened, with police claiming to have obtained significant leads about a suspected Pakistan-backed intelligence and recruitment network operating across Punjab.
- According to police officials familiar with the investigation, questioning of Rashpal and three other accused — Varinder Masih, Rohit and Rashpal’s uncle Akash — has provided information about other suspected operatives and individuals allegedly associated with the network.
The investigation into an alleged espionage operation involving Wi-Fi-enabled surveillance cameras near a military establishment in Ludhiana has widened, with police claiming to have obtained significant leads about a suspected Pakistan-backed intelligence and recruitment network operating across Punjab.
Rashpal Singh, a resident of Sarafkot village in Gurdaspur, was arrested on August 27 after investigators found that CCTV cameras installed by him at a rented commercial premises in Ludhiana were allegedly being accessed by handlers linked to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
According to police officials familiar with the investigation, questioning of Rashpal and three other accused — Varinder Masih, Rohit and Rashpal’s uncle Akash — has provided information about other suspected operatives and individuals allegedly associated with the network.
Acting on these leads, police teams have been carrying out raids at multiple locations in Punjab to trace additional suspects. Investigators believe the case could have ramifications beyond the surveillance operation uncovered in Ludhiana.
A police official said Rashpal was produced before a court on Tuesday and his police remand was extended by another three days. Akash is scheduled to be produced before the court on Wednesday, when investigators are expected to seek an extension of his custody for further questioning.
Akash was already lodged in Amritsar Central Jail in connection with a drug and weapons smuggling case. Investigators allege that despite being incarcerated, he remained in contact with ISI-linked handlers.
Police are also examining the role of another alleged associate currently based in Dubai. The individual, who is originally from Punjab, is suspected of having acted as an intermediary between handlers in Pakistan and people recruited in Punjab.
The investigation is now looking into whether the network was also involved in cross-border trafficking of narcotics and weapons. Officials suspect that young people in Punjab were being identified and recruited for a range of illegal activities, including intelligence gathering and terror-related assignments.
“The interrogation of Rashpal, his aides Varinder Masih and Rohit, and his uncle Akash has yielded vital leads regarding the ISI network in Punjab. We have information about other suspected operatives and raids are being conducted to apprehend them,” a police official associated with the investigation said.
Police officials have linked the latest findings to earlier cases in which alleged ISI operatives were arrested in Ludhiana with grenades and Glock pistols that investigators said had been supplied from Pakistan through cross-border channels.
Cameras allegedly provided remote surveillance
The present investigation began with the arrest of Rashpal, who had rented a shop opposite Mediway Hospital in New Sunder Nagar on Ferozepur Road in Ludhiana. The premises is located around six kilometres from Baddowal Cantonment.
Police allege that Rashpal installed CCTV cameras outside the shop and subsequently provided remote access to their live feed to intelligence handlers in Pakistan. Investigators suspect that the cameras were being used to observe movements in the area and gather information considered relevant to security and defence establishments.
Officials further allege that Rashpal collected and transmitted information concerning defence agencies, national security and other strategic activities to his handlers across the border.
During the operation, police seized two CCTV cameras, a Wi-Fi router, a power adapter and a 64-GB memory card. The electronic devices are part of the continuing investigation into the nature and extent of information allegedly transmitted through the surveillance system.
The seizure of the cameras also led investigators to two additional suspects.
According to police, after the equipment was removed, the remote live feed became unavailable. Handlers allegedly asked Varinder Masih and Rohit, both residents of Amritsar district, to travel to Ludhiana and find out why the cameras had stopped functioning.
The two men were allegedly unaware that Rashpal had already been arrested. Their arrival to inspect the surveillance equipment subsequently led to their apprehension by Ludhiana police.
Investigators are now attempting to establish the full chain connecting the accused, the Dubai-based intermediary and their alleged handlers in Pakistan. Police are also examining whether similar surveillance arrangements or recruitment modules were established elsewhere in Punjab.
Officials said further arrests could follow as raids and questioning continue.
