Lucknow | 2 December 2025: The ongoing probe into the Delhi blast has opened an unexpected and troubling front for Indian security agencies, revealing that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has allegedly revived and expanded a covert intelligence network in Nepal under the façade of charity, medical aid and academic outreach.
According to sources familiar with the investigation, the operation relied heavily on foreign doctors, charity executives and research fellows many of whom frequently travelled between Nepal and the India–Nepal border districts. The network was designed to gather ground-level intelligence on India’s sensitive regions, particularly Gorakhpur, Lucknow and the Himalayan corridor through Pithoragarh.
The revelations emerged after coordinated action by central agencies led to the detention of five doctors from districts along the border. Another suspect, believed to be a key link for the network’s financial and travel coordination, left for Dubai days after the Delhi blast, prompting heightened suspicion.
Türkiye Connection Leads Investigation Straight to Nepal’s Charity Circles
Initially, investigators were focused on potential Turkish handlers after digital chatter and encrypted communication hinted at a Türkiye-based module. But the trail quickly expanded to Nepal, where several “medical missions” and “charity foundations” had seen unusual foreign footfall over the past year.
A classified Intelligence Bureau (IB) report submitted to the Union Home Ministry in mid-November had already warned about questionable charity-linked movements across Nepal’s Terai belt. The report pointed out a pattern of individuals particularly those with Pakistani or dual-national backgrounds gaining long-term access to Nepal in the name of aid, seminars and research.
The concerns intensified after two British nationals of South Asian origin were detained in Bahraich on 15 November. One of them, Hassan Aman Salim—of Pakistani origin—had visited Nepal multiple times for “charity collaboration,” often accompanied by his Bangladeshi wife. Agencies now believe these trips may have involved logistical or intelligence-linked coordination.
“Charity as a Cover”: Former Intelligence Officials Warn of Tactical Outreach
Intelligence officials who have worked extensively along the Nepal border say this is not an isolated incident but part of a systematic attempt to rebuild influence in the region.
Santosh Singh, a former IB officer who served along the border, said that Pakistan-linked charities have historically tried to use Nepal’s open access and visa flexibility to position operatives close to India.
“These missions often appear humanitarian on the surface,” he said, “but they allow sustained presence, local engagement and discreet data collection. The Delhi blast investigation has simply brought a buried structure to the surface.”
The medical-camp model, according to officials, provides a convenient route for operatives to enter remote Indian-adjacent areas, establish trust and move without raising suspicion.
Agencies Scan Travel Logs, Funding Patterns and Institutional Ties
As part of the widened probe, IB and central agencies are now cross-examining:
- Repeated international visits for seminars, fellowships, medical research, health camps
- the institutions sponsoring these visits
- the nature of collaborations with Nepali establishments
- funding trails linked to charity organisations
- digital communication between Nepal and border-district contacts
A special focus has been placed on individuals active in or around Pilibhit, Lakhimpur Kheri, Bahraich, Balrampur, Shravasti, Siddharthnagar and Maharajganj, the key districts through which foreign researchers and medical volunteers often pass into Nepal.
During this scrutiny, two doctors from Uttar Pradesh emerged as “primary persons of interest.” One of them abruptly travelled to Dubai soon after the Delhi blast, prompting agencies to seek details of his financial transactions, meetings and cross-border links.
Next Phase: Mapping ISI’s Operational Skeleton
Investigators are now piecing together what they describe as the “core skeleton” of the suspected network, including:
- the funding sources behind charity-linked programmes
- local Nepali collaborators and institutions
- international handlers
- possible sleeper-support units inside India
- the role of medical missions as operational cover
Officials say the Delhi blast case has inadvertently exposed a slow-building intelligence platform that was taking shape across Nepal’s humanitarian sector. With the probe widening and more arrests likely, agencies believe they are only beginning to uncover the depth of ISI’s covert outreach along most accessible international border.
