In a move reminiscent of high-level Israeli espionage, Pakistan’s ISI reportedly orchestrated a covert operation using compromised Chinese-made CCTV systems. By infiltrating cameras positioned near strategic Indian assets in border States and Union Territories, the Pakistani spy agency was able to monitor military movements and equipment logistics in real time.

The objective, believe investigators, was to enable precise targeting of Indian defence installations and security infrastructure in the event of a future conflict between New Delhi and Islamabad.

Live visual feeds

For nearly last three months, the ISI was getting live visual feeds and information from key strategic defence sites and central armed police forces (CAPFs) installations across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir through nine solar-powered SIM-enabled devices linked to EseeCloud -- a widely used Chinese software platform for CCTV and surveillance equipment, senior Delhi Police officials told businessline.

EseeCloud, developed by Guangzhou Juan Intelligent Tech Joint Stock Co., Ltd. in China, was allegedly transmitting live footage to data centres in China and from where the information was further relayed to handlers in Pakistan.

These sensitive findings have emerged from on an ongoing investigations of Delhi Police Special Cell which on Friday busted an espionage module of ISI and Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) after arresting six persons, three each from Punjab and Delhi.

The sleuths have recovered nine CCTV cameras of EseeCloud installed near sensitive security and defence establishments in states and UTs close to the Pakistan border.

Alarmed at the unravelling of the espionage plot, police sources said that the armed forces should carry out a security audit of their strategic assets to check vulnerability arising out of installed Chinese CCTV cameras in and outside their premises to plug possible risks to national security.

Sanjeev Sehgal, Founder and MD of Sparsh CCTV and Convener of the Video Surveillance Committee at Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), told businessline that the introduction of STQC Essential Requirements is a landmark step to secure CCTV networks against vulnerabilities .

“It is one of the earliest and most comprehensive frameworks globally that combines cybersecurity, trusted supply chain, and ongoing compliance for surveillance systems. The next phase should focus on accelerated replacement of legacy networks and strict enforcement, especially across critical infrastructure in high-risk regions,” he remarked.

Game plan

The Pakistan intelligence game plan was to gather the sensitive information through regular round-the-clock monitoring of movement of men and machines and target them in case of another war with India, sources elaborated.

It is akin to what Israeli intelligence organisations like Mossad and Unit 8200 reportedly did to run covert campaigns by hacking into Tehran’s traffic camera network and surveillance systems. Global news reports suggest that the tech-based spying was for shadowing live movements of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and his security set up, leading to a successful targeted strike early this year, eliminating Khamenei and others.

An ISI handler by the code name of Captain Rana was supervising the Indian module. It is learnt that they used the terror network of the BKI for manpower resources management and used sleeper cells across Spain, Germany and Dubai for fixing EseeCloud made CCTV cameras on locations assigned by the ISI for spying.

The CCTV cameras installations were done under the garb of keeping an eye on truck movement in a transportation business and the ring leader for this assignment was a Dubai-based Indian operator, informed police sources.

“These locations included Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Pathankot, Patiala and Moga in Punjab, as well as Ambala in Haryana, Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir, and Bikaner and Alwar in Rajasthan,” Additional Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Pramod Singh Kushwah told reporters on Friday.

Installation of a EseeCloud equipment overall costs around ₹15,000, including price of a camera which is somewhere between ₹5,000 to ₹7,000, police have gathered.

According to Kushwaha, these locations are considered highly sensitive due to regular troop movements, proximity to international borders, and the presence of key Army cantonments and logistical corridors.

The government has come out with a new framework, applicable from April, for tightening oversight on the use of CCTV cameras, ensuring strict compliance with security norms laid out in the policy document.

The accused were getting funds transferred through UPI accounts, a part of which was from the proceeds of the sale of these smuggled weapons.

Published on April 12, 2026