Inside India's covert operation that crushed ISI's spy ring and foiled Delhi terror plot

Time of India

22-05-2025

Indian intelligence agencies
have reportedly foiled a major
espionage operation
orchestrated by
Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence
(ISI), following a three-month-long covert operation that culminated in the arrest of two individuals, including a Pakistani agent operating in the national capital. The dismantling of the spy ring marks a significant blow to
ISI
's alleged plans to orchestrate a
terror strike in Delhi
, according to a report in The Times of India (ToI).
The operation, launched in January based on an initial tip-off, revealed that an ISI-backed agent was en route to Delhi via Nepal to collect classified military data, including documents, photos, and GPS coordinates. Officials told ToI that the intelligence inputs indicated a possible terror plot using this information.
The arrested man, identified as
Ansarul Miya Ansari
, was apprehended on February 15 in central Delhi while reportedly attempting to return to Pakistan via Nepal with sensitive materials. Ansari, originally from Nepal and working as a taxi driver in Qatar since 2008, is believed to have been recruited and radicalised during a visit to Rawalpindi in June 2024, where he was allegedly introduced to top Pakistani Army officials and trained in espionage.
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The probe has also raised concerns about the involvement of certain staffers at the
Pakistani High Commission
in Delhi. ToI reports that ISI officers Muzammil and Ehsan-ur-Rahim, alias Danish, who had been cultivating Indian YouTubers and influencers, may have played a role in the broader plot.
During the covert operation, intelligence operatives reportedly stayed a step ahead of the suspect throughout. A source told ToI, 'Our men were actively collecting intel on Pak-backed terror outfits and sleeper cells across India. After grenade attacks on police stations in Punjab by
Babbar Khalsa International
, we sensed a bigger plan targeting public safety in northwest India.'
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Following his arrest, Ansari was handed over to the Delhi Police and booked under the
Official Secrets Act
for possessing and attempting to transmit
sensitive military documents
to Pakistani handlers.
Investigators also arrested Akhlaque Azam, a Ranchi-based man who allegedly provided logistic support to Ansari. Analysis of their mobile phones revealed suspicious conversations suggesting a broader conspiracy, ToI reported.
Last week, a chargesheet was filed against both suspects. They are currently lodged in Tihar Jail's high-security wing, with officials reportedly keeping a close watch to prevent them from influencing other inmates.
According to ToI, the chargesheet includes Ansari's confession, in which he admitted being recruited in Qatar with initial financial incentives before being radicalised over issues like the Babri Masjid demolition and India's CAA/NRC policies. He was later tasked with procuring classified documents from Delhi.
With the trial expected to begin soon, a top intelligence officer told ToI on condition of anonymity: 'It may be a cat-and-mouse game, but India's agencies want to be the ones holding the reins.'
With inputs from ToI.