NEW DELHI: Intelligence agencies dismantled a high-stakes espionage ring in a meticulously planned three-month-long covert operation, dealing a significant blow to ISI's attempts to carry out a terrorist strike in the national capital. The operation culminated in the arrest of two highly trained individuals, including Ansarul Miya Ansari , a Pakistani operative tasked with gathering sensitive information about Indian armed forces, sources said.
The probe also points a finger of suspicion at some staffers of Pak High Commission in Delhi. It's suspected that ISI officers Muzammil and Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish who had been cultivating Indian Youtubers and influencers were in on the plot.
Sleuths a step ahead of spy at every turn
The operation kicked off with a vague tip in Jan that a spy had been dispatched by ISI to collect sensitive documents/pictures/Google coordinates and was to arrive in Delhi via Nepal. The sleuths then developed the tip which revealed that an attack in Delhi was being planned and classified information about the armed forces was to be used to plan a terror attack.
Despite the high stakes, intelligence officials had to wait till mid-Feb to make headway. The ISI agent had arrived in Delhi and had collected confidential military documents, sources said. The trap was set, and on Feb 15, Ansari was apprehended in central Delhi with sensitive documents while he was on his way back to Pakistan via Nepal.
The operation, sources said, was a masterclass in espionage craft, with the agency officials staying one step ahead of the spy at every turn. "Our men were making efforts to collect information about Pak-backed terror outfits active in different parts of India and sleeper cells providing logistic support to them. After some grenade attacks outside police establishments in Punjab were carried out by ISI-backed terrorist outfit Babbar Khalsa Internation (BKI), the agency suspected a larger plot to threaten public safety in north-western India," said the source.
"In view of this, proactive steps were taken to prevent any such planning of terror attack in Delhi-NCR. Sources were activated which culminated in the tip about this suspect's travel plans."
Ansari was subsequently handed over to the police who then booked him for possessing and attempting to supply confidential documents related to the Indian Armed Forces to his Pakistani handlers. An FIR under the Officials Secrets Act was registered.
The investigation also uncovered the role of Akhlaque Azam, a resident of Ranchi, who was providing logistic support to Ansarul in India. The two were in constant communication with their Pakistani handlers, and their conversations were laced with suspicion and intrigue, sources said. Azam was subsequently arrested in March.
The analysis of their mobile devices uncovered suspicious conversations between both the arrested accused and their Pakistani handlers, which suggested a larger conspiracy. A few days ago, a chargesheet was filed in court against the two suspects even as further investigation is underway to identify more individuals involved in the conspiracy.
But who was Ansari? A deep dive into his background revealed a complex web of deceit and radicalisation. During interrogation, Ansari revealed that he originally belonged to Nepal but had been living and working as a taxi driver in Qatar since 2008, where he was recruited by an ISI operative. Money was the first incentive and the brainwashing about the 'bigger cause' followed. He was asked to go to Pakistan and meet his handler in Rawalpindi.
"In June 2024, he visited Pakistan for a month, where he was introduced to high-ranking officials of the Pakistani Army and radicalised by discussing issues like the Babri Masjid demolition and the implementation of CAA/NRC in India. Ansari was also trained in espionage and tasked with procuring secret documents from Delhi," a report filed in court reads.
The trial is about commence shortly with the court having taken cognisance of the chargesheet. The two arrested men are lodged in high security wing of Tihar jail. A special watch is being kept over them so that they may not attempt to brainwash other inmates, sources said. "We are on high alert to prevent any threats to national security. It may be a cat-and-mouse game, but India's agencies want to be the ones holding the reins," said a top officer who didn't wish to be named.
The probe also points a finger of suspicion at some staffers of Pak High Commission in Delhi. It's suspected that ISI officers Muzammil and Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish who had been cultivating Indian Youtubers and influencers were in on the plot.
Sleuths a step ahead of spy at every turn
The operation kicked off with a vague tip in Jan that a spy had been dispatched by ISI to collect sensitive documents/pictures/Google coordinates and was to arrive in Delhi via Nepal. The sleuths then developed the tip which revealed that an attack in Delhi was being planned and classified information about the armed forces was to be used to plan a terror attack.
Despite the high stakes, intelligence officials had to wait till mid-Feb to make headway. The ISI agent had arrived in Delhi and had collected confidential military documents, sources said. The trap was set, and on Feb 15, Ansari was apprehended in central Delhi with sensitive documents while he was on his way back to Pakistan via Nepal.
The operation, sources said, was a masterclass in espionage craft, with the agency officials staying one step ahead of the spy at every turn. "Our men were making efforts to collect information about Pak-backed terror outfits active in different parts of India and sleeper cells providing logistic support to them. After some grenade attacks outside police establishments in Punjab were carried out by ISI-backed terrorist outfit Babbar Khalsa Internation (BKI), the agency suspected a larger plot to threaten public safety in north-western India," said the source.
"In view of this, proactive steps were taken to prevent any such planning of terror attack in Delhi-NCR. Sources were activated which culminated in the tip about this suspect's travel plans."
Ansari was subsequently handed over to the police who then booked him for possessing and attempting to supply confidential documents related to the Indian Armed Forces to his Pakistani handlers. An FIR under the Officials Secrets Act was registered.
The investigation also uncovered the role of Akhlaque Azam, a resident of Ranchi, who was providing logistic support to Ansarul in India. The two were in constant communication with their Pakistani handlers, and their conversations were laced with suspicion and intrigue, sources said. Azam was subsequently arrested in March.
The analysis of their mobile devices uncovered suspicious conversations between both the arrested accused and their Pakistani handlers, which suggested a larger conspiracy. A few days ago, a chargesheet was filed in court against the two suspects even as further investigation is underway to identify more individuals involved in the conspiracy.
But who was Ansari? A deep dive into his background revealed a complex web of deceit and radicalisation. During interrogation, Ansari revealed that he originally belonged to Nepal but had been living and working as a taxi driver in Qatar since 2008, where he was recruited by an ISI operative. Money was the first incentive and the brainwashing about the 'bigger cause' followed. He was asked to go to Pakistan and meet his handler in Rawalpindi.
"In June 2024, he visited Pakistan for a month, where he was introduced to high-ranking officials of the Pakistani Army and radicalised by discussing issues like the Babri Masjid demolition and the implementation of CAA/NRC in India. Ansari was also trained in espionage and tasked with procuring secret documents from Delhi," a report filed in court reads.
The trial is about commence shortly with the court having taken cognisance of the chargesheet. The two arrested men are lodged in high security wing of Tihar jail. A special watch is being kept over them so that they may not attempt to brainwash other inmates, sources said. "We are on high alert to prevent any threats to national security. It may be a cat-and-mouse game, but India's agencies want to be the ones holding the reins," said a top officer who didn't wish to be named.
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