Punjab man arrested for 'installing CCTV on highway to track Army movement for Pakistan'

Punjab Police have uncovered a suspected espionage network in Pathankot and arrested a man accused of sharing footage of Indian Army and paramilitary movement with handlers linked to Pakistan.

The accused, identified as Baljit Singh alias Bittu, is a resident of Chakk Dhariwal village in Punjab’s Pathankot district, per a report by NDTV. According to police officials, he had allegedly installed a CCTV camera at a shop near a bridge along the Pathankot-Jammu stretch of National Highway-44 to monitor military movement in the area.

CCTV installed near highway to track forces

Per NDTV report, senior police officer Daljinder Singh Dhillon said the surveillance footage was electronically transmitted to operatives based in Pakistan and other foreign locations.

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During interrogation, Baljit Singh allegedly admitted that he had installed an internet-based CCTV camera near Sujanpur in January this year. Police said he was also receiving instructions from an unidentified individual based in Dubai and had been paid Rs 40,000 for the work.

Officials recovered a CCTV camera and an internet WiFi router from his possession.

The police action followed intelligence inputs about suspicious activity near the highway stretch connecting Punjab and Jammu. Based on the information, Sujanpur Police registered a case against four people.

Apart from Baljit Singh, those named in the case include Vikramjit Singh alias Vikka, Balwinder Singh alias Vicky and Taranpreet Singh alias Tannu. Police said the accused were allegedly involved in “criminal and anti-national activities”, per a report by NDTV.

Authorities said raids are currently underway to arrest the remaining accused while investigators continue to trace the funding route and cross-border links connected to the network.

Earlier espionage modules also uncovered

The latest arrest comes weeks after Punjab Police busted two alleged espionage modules reportedly backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

According to police, the modules were using China-made solar-powered CCTV cameras equipped with 4G connectivity to monitor sensitive military locations and transmit live footage to Pakistan-based handlers.

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Per NDTV, Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav had said, “These Chinese cameras are ideal for off-grid surveillance as they operate via 4G connectivity and solar power, bypassing the need for traditional wiring.”

In one of the earlier operations, police recovered CCTV cameras, solar panels, SIM cards and mobile phones allegedly linked to foreign handlers. Officials also claimed one Pakistan-based handler identified as “Fauji” had paid money to install surveillance systems near military areas.