Spy ring accused helped Pakistan get Indian SIM cards
CHANDIGARH: Questioning of a dozen people arrested in Punjab and Haryana on charges of allegedly spying for Pakistan has revealed a new trend of their ISI handlers procuring Indian SIM cards from them to call junior-level police officers for information about Indian troop movement during Operation Sindoor, central intelligence agency sources said.
The handlers reportedly impersonated senior officers from the Indian defence establishment and other agencies. They also used the SIMs to try to honey-trap officers or soldiers and blackmail them with recorded videos of sensitive information. Sources in the central intelligence agencies stated that the interrogation of the arrested individuals revealed a common factor: they all became involved in espionage activities after coming into contact with officials of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.
They reportedly confessed that High Commission staff had asked them several times to procure Indian SIM cards in return for visa facilitation. 'ISI handlers have continuously carried out this practice of demanding SIM cards in exchange for visas at the Pakistani High Commission for the past few years,' said an officer on condition of anonymity.
Intelligence sources said the Pakistani modus operandi was to target less-educated individuals with relatives in Pakistan and who sought visas to visit them. Such people were asked to get SIM cards and share OTPs with them to activate the numbers. The SIMs were then reportedly used by Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIOs) sitting across the border.
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