Hours after four alleged operatives of India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) were arrested in Karachi, Punjab’s Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) claimed on Wednesday to have apprehended six local facilitators of the Indian intelligence agency from various districts in the province.
The arrests were disclosed at a joint press conference in Lahore by Punjab Additional Inspector General of Operations Shehzada Sultan and CTD SSP Operations Waqar Azim.
Flanked by senior police officials, they briefed reporters on what was described as a major breakthrough in thwarting foreign-sponsored terrorist activity on Pakistani soil.
According to officials, the arrests followed a coordinated series of raids conducted across multiple districts. Explosives and detonators were recovered in Toba Tek Singh.
In Bahawalpur, a RAW facilitator receiving funding via Dubai was taken into custody, while two more individuals were arrested from Bahawalnagar for obtaining improvised explosive devices (IEDs) directly from India's Border Security Force (BSF).
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The CTD said it had also uncovered plans to attack a mosque and a railway station in Bahawalpur. Investigators said they intercepted audio communications involving two senior RAW officers—identified as Major Ravindra Rathore and Inspector Singh—which they said revealed the operational scope of the planned attacks.
The CTD recovered IEDs, safety fuses, and confidential maps from the arrested suspects. Officials added that intercepted instructions from Indian handlers detailed plans for targeted killings and attacks on sensitive locations across the country.
“These six individuals are Pakistani nationals who had been covertly working for RAW,” said Additional IG Sultan, adding that the Indian agency was funding its network in Pakistan through Dubai, using cryptocurrency and informal branchless banking channels to avoid detection.
The officials termed the arrests a “major success” and said further investigations were underway to dismantle any remaining elements of the network operating in Punjab and beyond.
Earlier, four individuals said to be working for RAW were detained in Karachi during a raid conducted by the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) in the Quaidabad area of Malir.
The arrested individuals were accused of spying on military and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor sites, said intelligence agencies and the SIU of Police. They were identified as Muhammad Khan Bariyo alias Guloo, Akhtar, Jameen Mullah alias Jaman and Ghulam Qadir alias Akash.
SIU Superintendent of Police Muhammad Shoaib Memon said that the prime suspect, Muhammad Khan, a resident of Sujawal District, had been in contact with RAW and a certain Colonel Ranjeet from the Indian Border Security Force's Camp No 59 since 2009.
The arrested suspects would travel there and provide sensitive information, including photos of key installations, details of deployed personnel and geo-tagged locations, he added.
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The SSP stressed on the gravity of the situation in the context of India's prevailing hostile stance and said that sharing such information is a direct act of aggression against Pakistan. The suspects' mobile phones were checked as well, he added.
The authorities found the Indian colonel's number on their phones and found that he was being referred to as "Boss" in their communications. Moreover, geo-tagging software was found on the confiscated phones and WhatsApp was being used to send pictures and locations of important installations.
A highly sensitive document—a training manual of the Pakistan Army—was also recovered from their possession.
In response to further queries, the SSP Shoaib Memon disclosed that the suspects provided detailed intelligence, including the locations and troop deployments of military and CPEC-related installations in Bin Qasim Town.
They also passed on sensitive information regarding military and naval facilities in Sujawal, including shift timings, personnel rotations, and the types of weapons used.
He added that it appears the arrested suspects were planning a major terrorist plot but it would be premature to say anything at this stage, as the investigation is still ongoing.
The retrieved mobile phones have been sent for forensic analysis and further details of certain Indian contacts as well as the information shared are being sought.
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Moreover, explosive materials, including four hand grenades, one Kalashnikov rifle, another rifle, two pistols and photographs of critical installations besides other incriminating items were seized from the suspects at the time of arrest, according to the authorities.
According to SSU, the suspects had crossed the Pakistani border from Sujawal via the sea route to enter India, where they reported to BSF’s Camp No 59. In exchange for their services, they received monetary compensation, Indian liquor and cigarettes, which were seized during the operation.
The vehicle in which the suspects were roaming, along with grenades and arms, was also seized, and it was found to have been snatched from a citizen. SSP Memon said that cases have been registered against the suspects under anti-nationalism provisions of the law.
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