A man from Punjab’s Pathankot was arrested for allegedly spying for handlers based in Pakistan, police said on Thursday, as reported by PTI. According to the preliminary investigation, the accused, Baljit Singh from Chakk Dhariwal village, had installed a CCTV camera at a shop near a bridge on National Highway-44 to monitor the movement of Army and paramilitary personnel.
Police said that he was sharing the live footage with handlers in Pakistan.
During interrogation, Baljit Singh admitted that he had set up the internet-enabled CCTV camera on the Pathankot-Jammu stretch of NH-44 in January.
Police further claimed that he was receiving instructions from an unidentified individual based in Dubai and had been paid ₹40,000 for the task.
According to police, the accused had installed a CCTV camera whose live footage was being shared with anti-national elements, ANI reported.
Pathankot SSP Daljinder Singh Dhillon said the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) received intelligence inputs that Baljit Singh, alias Bittu, a resident of Dhariwal Chack village under the Sadar Police Station area, along with three associates, had installed surveillance cameras at the Sujanpur stop on National Highway 44, the route connecting Pathankot and Jammu, for espionage purposes.
Based on the information, the police arrested the accused on Thursday. Upon rigorous interrogation, the accused provided the location, and the officials recovered standalone internet-based cameras.
Here's what the police said
“This is a sensitive location, and the cameras were placed to monitor all movements there. He was arrested yesterday and interrogated rigorously. Based on the information provided during the interrogation, the location was pinpointed, and the police recovered the standalone internet-based cameras from there,” he said.
Further, he said that three individuals acted as accomplices in the crime. Apparently, one handled local logistics, while the other two maintained contact with foreign intelligence agencies.
"He was motivated and funded for this task, receiving money for cameras and other expenses," Dhillon said.
The official underlined that two of the three accomplices are already in prison for other cases.
“All these details have come to light after a thorough investigation. Among his three accomplices, two are currently in jail for other cases. We will soon bring them in on production warrants for interrogation,” he said.
“The links from these cameras were being sent abroad, and a technical investigation into this is ongoing,” he emphasised.
(With inputs from agencies)
