Investigators probing the ISI-linked CCTV espionage network have uncovered a deeper and more worrying layer, with operatives allegedly directed to monitor toll plazas alongside railway stations and military sites, officials said.
The development underlines the scale at which sensitive, real-time movement data was being targeted across the country, raising concerns over how critical transport corridors could have been mapped or exploited.
According to officials, the focus on toll plazas was not incidental. These hubs offer valuable information on vehicle flows, security deployment and the movement of goods carriers. As per officials, a terror strike at a toll plaza could cause widespread disruption and bring traffic movement to a halt. The ISI may have been eyeing containers and essential goods vehicles that regularly pass through such checkpoints.
Why toll plaza data matters for terror operations
Officials explained that real-time access to toll plaza surveillance could aid both terror groups and smuggling networks. Details of security arrangements and vehicle movement patterns can be used to move arms, ammunition or narcotics with minimal risk.
When terror groups and drug smugglers get live access to toll plaza security patterns and vehicle flow, it effectively hands them a moving window to ferry weapons and drugs across checkpoints, another official said. Such information could also be used to plan targeted ambushes on specific vehicles.
Investigators further warned that such data may enable planning of high-impact attacks, including car bomb blasts at busy transit points. The information could be used to orchestrate vehicle-borne explosions that would block traffic and result in casualties, an official added.
Link to earlier terror plans under probe
The findings have also drawn parallels with earlier investigations. In the Faridabad module case, accused individuals had allegedly plotted multiple car bomb attacks across North India. The plan partially unravelled after security agencies tightened surveillance in Jammu and Kashmir, leading one accused to detonate a vehicle near Delhi’s Red Fort in panic.
Authorities say the renewed interest in such tactics reflects a continuing push among terror outfits to carry out vehicle-borne attacks.
Over 1,000 toll plazas part of potential surveillance grid
India currently has over 1,000 operational toll plazas, all equipped with CCTV systems. Investigators suspect that the espionage module aimed to tap into this network by installing additional solar-powered cameras at key points to harvest as much footage as possible.
The plot came to light following a Ghaziabad Police investigation, which exposed attempts to install surveillance equipment at nearly 50 locations. These included railway stations, crowded public areas and military facilities.
The module had already installed at least two cameras at Delhi Cantonment Railway Station and Sonipat Railway Station. Officials said the devices transmitted live footage for around 15 days before being dismantled on March 18.
ISI shifts strategy after Operation Sindoor
Intelligence officials believe the network reflects a shift in ISI tactics following setbacks suffered after Operation Sindoor, in which Indian forces targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
An Intelligence Bureau official revealed that the ISI had been restructuring its approach following Operation Sindoor, which saw Indian forces dismantle terror networks.
The operation, launched after the Pahalgam attack that killed tourists, weakened traditional intelligence channels used by Pakistan-backed networks inside India. Subsequent crackdowns by Indian agencies dismantled several espionage modules, including one involving social media influencers such as Jyoti Malhotra.
With conventional networks disrupted, officials say the ISI turned to a low-cost model relying on locally installed CCTV systems to stream live visuals from sensitive and crowded locations. Operatives were reportedly paid between Rs 8,000 and Rs 10,000 per installation.
The bust has also triggered a broader audit of CCTV procurement, particularly systems sourced from China.
(With inputs from IANS)