Muslims used Hindu names, recruited Hindus, transmitted live CCTV footage to Pakistan: Read the shocking revelations in the ISI-linked Ghaziabad spy ring case

The authorities have recently dismantled a significant Pakistan-tied espionage ring in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. 22 people have been nabbed, including 6 minors who were involved in various spy operations throughout the nation, and alarming revelations have been emerging during the investigation. They set up CCTV cameras and utilised them, social media and encrypted applications to transmit live footage of troop movements, routes and weaponry to Pakistan. Solar-powered CCTV cameras were deployed at Delhi Cantonment and Sonepat as 50 additional spots were to follow suit across India, including the Delhi-Jammu railway corridor. Police have retrieved the cameras and forwarded them for forensic analysis. The cell phones of the accused have also been confiscated. These people also created WhatsApp groups to disseminate visuals of key structures, including railway stations and temples, as well as GPS coordinates of such crucial places, along with other information, to foreign numbers. They were compensated for their services with funds via intermediaries who also passed orders to them. The costs range from Rs 500 to several thousand. The money trail is under inquiry. Ganesh, a citizen of Nepal who has been imprisoned, informed the police that a handler, Sardar Jora, used hawala to send funds to the country. Afterwards, it was moved to accounts in India or distributed through cash after being channelled using casinos, businesspeople and mobile routes. The middlemen took a 20% cut. A potential terror-plot in motion The actions indicated a pre-attack monitoring effort, not solely espionage. The online training modules were imported, and more than 450 files have been traced to Pakistan. “Sameer downloaded an app from Play Store to capture and transmit material and was trained online to use it. He also lured several boys into the gang with money and got them to carry out reconnaissance. In the last year alone, he added more than 12 youths to the group,” the police outlined. The focus was also to entrap women and minors to lower suspicion. The recruitment also concentrated on young adults with technical abilities, including experience at mobile repair shops, CCTV technicians and even rudimentary networking knowledge. The names Sardar Jora, also known as Sarfaraz or Zora Singh and Shahzad, referred to as Bhatti, who are based in the Islamic Republic, along with Waqar alias Vicky Jat, have surfaced in the case. Jat was running a parallel syndicate similar to the other two and was in touch with the arrested individuals. The accused were working on the directions of their Pakistani handlers and pretended to be Hindus to participate in anti-national activities through espionage and reconnaissance. They changed their identities out of the fear of being exposed and to evade detection, just as Suhail Malik posed as Romeo, Naushad Ali disguised himself as Lalu, Sameer presented himself as Shooter and Sane Iram masqueraded as Mahek. Interestingly, Naushad had opened a shop for fixing punctures at a petrol pump a few months ago in Nachauli village of the Faridabad district in Haryana. Muslims pretended to be Hindus, love jihad angle suspected The probea also found that Muslims working to establish ISI network India were using Hindu names and attire. For example, Suhel alias Romeo wears a sacred thread and a Rudraksha around his neck, and puts a Tilak. Naushad, Iran and other Muslims arrested in the case also similarly pretended to be Hindus. It is believed that they not only alter their names for anti-India acts, but love jihad could also serve as a motive for the same, and the security agencies are looking into it. Notably, Suhail, Naushad and Sameer were scheduled to travel to Jammu-Kashmir and Leh-Ladakh for recce on the orders of their Pakistani master. However, Suhail abandoned the mission to attend his Hindu girlfriend’s birthday. She resides in Himachal Pradesh’s Baddi, and he met her as Romeo. According to sources, he could be a part of a love jihad gang. Suhail, Meera Thakur, Ganesh, Hrithik Gangwar, Naushad and Sameer visited Haridwar and Rishikesh a few days prior. They bathed in Ganga at Har ki Pauri, performed Ganga Aarti and then did surveillance following the darshan at Mansa Devi and Neelkanth Mahadev temples. Afterwards, the group arrived at Sikar’s Ringas railway station in Rajasthan by train and went to the Khatu-Shyam temple and then proceeded to an army camp situated approximately 15 kilometre away and returned after carrying out their illegal scouting. A conspiracy to target the Hindu community Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agents maintained constant communication with Suhail and Iram and told them to increasingly recruit young Hindu men and women into the network. Economically disadvantaged youths fell victim to their sinister scheme. They were intended to be exploited in dangerous plans with high risk to life. The responsibility for storing weapons was also going to be handed over to them. The Pakistanis were persistently instructing them to reach out to more Hindus and give them access to critical information after they are deemed completely reliable. They were asked to refrain from unveiling the identities of their associates in the neighbouring country in light of any doubt or unsurety. The pair upheld this approach. Suhail successfully targeted several people from the Hindu community after which Shiva Valmiki, Raj Valmiki, Hrithik and Praveen joined the spy-web. Parveen was deeply trusted by Suhail and the handlers and was assigned the task of setting up cameras in Sonepat. According to the agencies, the aim was to defame the Hindu community and protect the Muslims. Suhail also directed his attention at those who had received education only from the 5th to the 12th grade. He added mobile mechanics, daily wage earners, fast food and fruit vendors to the network as they needed help to meet their internet expenses. They were enticed with the promise of financial incentives and taken to different areas under the guise of filming reels. They completed their assigned duties ensuring that their true intentions remained under wraps. They even travelled in groups and transmitted details regarding Israeli hotels and VVIPs alongside of areas such as Connaught Place and Paharganj in the national capital. Speeches of Maulana Masood Azhar, Hafiz Saeed were used to brainwash The accused, including Suhail and Iram, were scared after brothers Zeeshan and Gulfam, who tried to behead ex-Muslim Saleem Wastik, were shot dead by the Uttar Pradesh police during an encounter. They began to distance themselves from the Pakistani handlers. Suhail even talked about this with them. Hence, the Pakistanis indoctrinated him over an extended period. The ISI handlers claimed that the Islamist siblings were not actually deceased but had achieved martyrdom and would enter paradise. It was asserted that the earthly existence pales in comparison to the life in heaven, and they declared the pair as martyrs. The audio and video recordings of the inflammatory speeches of Jaish-e-Mohammed supremo Muhammad Masood Azhar Alvi alias Masood Azhar’s and Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Muhammad Saeed were sent with the goal to brainwash. Masood Azhar rambled about “jihad, martyrdom and jannat” in these old addresses which proved effective and all the Muslim accused continued their ties with the Pakistanis. They also succeeded in luring Hindus in Pune where Suhail spent three years and worked as a baker. However, it was merely a front as he was receiving money and directives from the ISI. There he targeted those who were in the same profession. Suhail was awarded Rs 10,000 for every video clip he provided. The involvement in firing at Salman Khan’s house An attack occurred at the residence of Bollywood actor Salman Khan in 2024. The involvement of Mumbai gangster Mohammad Khan, also known as Wasim Chikna, was uncovered in relation to this incident. The probe has disclosed that Meera, Ganesh, Suhail, Iram and Sameer executed reconnaissance of the house for Wasim who was later caught alongside others. Their handlers are discovered to be in various nations, including Pakistan, Malaysia, Dubai, the United Kingdom, Nepal, Canada, amonng others. The investigation has shown that all the accused using fake names had Indian SIM cards and employed Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) for their calls. This method allowed them to conceal their actual location and edit the phone number. The present matter is under inquiry as agencies are looking for other active spies and the identities of these handlers. The investigators are also examining the places whose details had been dispatched to the Pakistanis and the devices that were utilised for this. The police have assured that the masterminds will be revealed soon. OTP and SIM given to foreign actors An investigation into an OTP and SIM supply ring was initiated simultaneously. The accused sent Indian OTPs overseas, allowing those outside India to use Indian numbers for social media and WhatsApp accounts. The payments were between Rs 500 and Rs 5,000. The foundation of SIM acquisition was a collection of interchangeable strategies, comprising pre-activated SIMs via agents, phishing, snatching and falsified IDs. UPI was applied to transfer funds, but personal accounts were not used. There was limited traceability because the amount circulated through Jan Seva Kendras, small businesses and cash withdrawals. Air Force civilian staffer arrested On 22nd March (Sunday), a civilian Air Force worker was apprehended on suspicion of espionage for Pakistan at the Chabua Air Force Station in the Dibrugarh district, Assam, in a separate case. He was working as a Multi-Tasking Staff member and has been identified as 36-year-old Sumit Kumar, a native of Prayagraj. He is charged with offering critical Air Force intelligence to his handlers for money. He has been in continuous touch with them since 2023. Kumar divulged vital details concerning Air Force facilities, such as Air Force Station Chabua and Air Force Station Nal in Bikaner. Confidential data on commanders and staff was supplied in addition to the positions of fighter planes and missile systems. He also aided Pakistani agents in establishing social media accounts with mobile numbers that were listed in his name. Kumar was moved to the Central Interrogation Center in Jaipur after he was taken into custody. He has been booked under pertinent sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Official Secrets Act. He was eventually arrested after Jhabararam from Jaisalmer was nabbed in January. The authorities busted a larger spy network that highlighted Pakistani ties as a result of the latter’s interrogation and thorough probe.