Karachi Police on Wednesday said they had arrested four local fishermen suspected of spying for India’s main intelligence agency RAW, accusing them of sending sensitive images of military installations to Indian handlers and receiving payments, liquor, and weapons in return.
Police said the latest arrests were made during a joint operation with intelligence services, according to a press conference by Shoaib Mehmood Memon, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) with Karachi’s Special Investigation Unit (SIU).
Memon added that the suspects received around RS100,000-150,000 (up to $525) per visit and were tasked with collecting sensitive video footage and checking routes leading to key military sites.
Authorities said hand grenades, firearms, and a vehicle were recovered during the operation, and that mobile data from the suspects had been fully extracted. Cases had been registered against the suspects under Pakistan’s counterterrorism laws.
Meanwhile, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Punjab has dismantled what it says is a sophisticated network of Indian intelligence operatives and local facilitators working under the aegis of RAW. The bust, executed under the codename Operation Yalghar, has led to the arrest of six suspected RAW facilitators from the district of Toba Tek Singh.
The CTD reported seizing a cache of sensitive materials, including maps of strategic locations, detonators, and high-grade explosives. This was not an isolated operation. In a parallel development, CTD Bahawalpur apprehended additional suspects allegedly tied to the same RAW-linked network. These individuals, according to CTD officials, received financial support routed through Dubai and physical consignments of IEDs directly from India’s Border Security Force (BSF).
The implications are sobering. “The suspects were actively plotting attacks on a mosque and the local railway station,” a senior CTD Bahawalpur official revealed. “Had they succeeded, the consequences would have been catastrophic.
Perhaps most alarming is the intelligence haul accompanying these arrests. Forensic examination of digital communications intercepted by the CTD has unearthed audio recordings of individuals identified as Major Rawindra Rathor and Inspector Singh-allegedly officers within RAW-giving direct operational instructions to the apprehended men. In the recordings, the two handlers are heard directing the execution of attacks on “sensitive installations” across Pakistan.
This development marks a rare moment in which Pakistani authorities have not only named but also provided what they claim is direct evidence of Indian intelligence operatives orchestrating subversive activities on Pakistani soil.
In a statement issued late Tuesday evening, the CTD vowed unwavering commitment to safeguarding national security. “We will not compromise on the sovereignty of Pakistan,” the agency said. “Anyone involved in aiding foreign attempts to destabilize our country will be brought to justice.”
Separately, Four people died and four others were seriously injured when a landmine exploded in the Pewar Sharamkhel area of Upper Kurram district on Wednesday.
According to police, the victims were collecting firewood in the mountains when they accidentally stepped on a landmine planted along their path. The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital and were currently receiving treatment.
One of the survivors said, “We were gathering wood as usual when suddenly there was a loud blast. Everything turned chaotic, people were screaming and running for help.”
District Police Officer (DPO) Habibullah confirmed that initial investigations point to a landmine explosion. Police, bomb disposal experts and district officials have inspected the site and are gathering evidence. Local authorities called the incident “a plot to disrupt peace” in the region, while tribal leaders strongly condemned the attack and demanded justice
A search operation has been launched, and further investigations are ongoing.