In a major breakthrough, police in Punjab’s Pathankot have arrested one person identified as Baljit Singh alias Bitu, a resident of Chak Dhariwal village in Pathankot district and busted a module linked to national security concerns. The accused was arrested for installing a CCTV camera whose live feed was being shared with anti-national elements, the police said.
According to the SSP Pathankot, Daljinder Singh Dhillon, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) received secret information that Baljit Singh, also known as Baljit Singh Bittu, a resident of Dhariwal Chack village under Sadar Police Station, along with his three companions, had installed cameras for espionage at the Sujanpur stop on National Highway 44, which leads from Pathankot to Jammu.
Based on the information, the police arrested the accused on May 21. Upon rigorous interrogation, the accused provided the location, and the officials recovered standalone internet-based cameras.
Notably, he, along with his associates, had installed CCTV cameras at a shop located between bridge numbers 4 and 5 in Sujanpur on the Punjab-Jammu highway.
According to police, the cameras were being used to monitor the movement of security forces on the strategically important highway connecting Punjab and Jammu. The live feed and surveillance inputs were allegedly being transmitted electronically to Pakistan-based handlers and other anti-national elements abroad.
“This is a sensitive location, and the cameras were placed to monitor all movements there. He was arrested yesterday and interrogated rigorously. Based on the information provided during the interrogation, the location was pinpointed, and the police recovered the standalone internet-based cameras from there,” he said.
Further, he said that three individuals acted as accomplices in the crime. Apparently, one provided local logistics, while the other two were in contact with foreign intelligence agencies.
“He was motivated and funded for this task, receiving money for cameras and other expenses,” Dhillon said.
The official underlined that two of the three accomplices are already in prison for other cases.
An FIR has been registered under Sections 61, 111, 113(3) and 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with provisions of the Official Secrets Act.
