Delhi Police’s Special Cell said it had busted an inter-state terror, arms and espionage module in two coordinated operations, arresting 11 accused from Punjab and Delhi and recovering nine solar-powered CCTV cameras installed near sensitive security establishments, along with four pistols and 24 live cartridges. According to the press release, the accused were allegedly in contact with Pakistan-based operatives through encrypted applications and were receiving directions for espionage and other subversive activities.
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Two Operations, Eleven Arrests
The Special Cell said the first operation was carried out by its NDR unit, which arrested six accused, three from Punjab and three from Delhi. Investigators said nine CCTV cameras had been installed near sensitive security and defence establishments and that the live feeds were being relayed to handlers in Pakistan through a mobile application. Police also said three PX5 pistols, one country-made pistol and 24 live cartridges were recovered, and that funds had been routed through UPI accounts, with part of the money allegedly coming from the sale of smuggled weapons.
In the second operation, conducted by the SWR unit on an input from Military Intelligence, five accused from Punjab were arrested for alleged espionage activities. The press release said they had been involved in reconnaissance and in sharing photographs and videos of sensitive security installations. The document named all 11 accused and listed their home districts in Punjab and Delhi.
The press release also detailed the recoveries made during the operation, including the nine solar CCTV cameras with SIM cards, four weapons, 24 live cartridges, two four-wheelers, two motorcycles and 24 mobile phones. The locations linked to the recovered cameras included Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Pathankot, Patiala, Moga, Ambala, Kathua, Bikaner and Alwar.
What the Investigation Found
According to the Special Cell, the case began after what it described as credible and specific input indicating that foreign-based handlers linked to the banned outfit Babbar Khalsa International, in coordination with Pakistan-based gangsters and ISI operatives, were conspiring to carry out subversive and terrorist activities in Delhi and Punjab. Police said the alleged nexus involved radicalising and recruiting young people for terror activity, arms smuggling, espionage and related operations.
A case was registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, after which multiple raids were conducted across Delhi and Punjab. The first arrest, police said, was made on March 29 in Tarn Taran, Punjab. The accused, Manpreet Singh, allegedly told investigators that he had been in contact with Pakistan-based handlers of the BKI-ISI network and had received seven foreign-made pistols and 56 live cartridges, which he then delivered onward on their instructions. He was also accused of arranging SIM cards on fake identities for Punjab-based contacts, which were allegedly used to transmit CCTV feeds from sensitive locations to Pakistan.
Police said the arrests that followed led investigators to a broader interconnected structure spanning espionage, arms trafficking and alleged plans to target security establishments. The press release said relevant photos, videos and location data had been retrieved from digital devices seized from the accused.
Espionage, Arms and Alleged Terror Plans
The press release provided brief profiles of the accused and their alleged roles. Among those named in the NDR operation were men accused of collecting and delivering weapons, arranging SIM cards, receiving and sending money, and installing the CCTV cameras. In the SWR operation, police alleged that some accused conducted reconnaissance of Army and BSF camps, shared sensitive photographs and videos, helped facilitate drug trafficking across the international border, arranged SIM cards and planned installation of the solar-powered CCTV systems.
In its concluding section, the Special Cell said the arrests had uncovered three linked networks. The first related to espionage and subversive activities, in which Indian youths were allegedly lured with money generated through illegal smuggling and directed to photograph and film Army and paramilitary installations. The second concerned arms trafficking, with police alleging that Pakistan-based handlers directed Indian associates to receive and distribute foreign-made pistols. The third, according to the press release, involved alleged plans to target security and other establishments through grenade attacks and other acts of terrorism.
