Kathua Truck Driver Arrested for Allegedly Livestreaming Indian Army Movements to Pakistani Handlers
Jammu and Kashmir Police have arrested a 24-year-old truck driver in Kathua district for allegedly running a live surveillance set-up that tracked Indian Army personnel and military convoys and sent the footage to Pakistani intelligence handlers.
The accused, identified as Aman, a resident of Kathua who lived close to the International Border, has been booked under the Official Secrets Act, 1923. Police registered the case at Police Station Rajbagh in Kathua after a joint counter-espionage operation involving the Jammu and Kashmir Police and intelligence agencies. Some reports have said the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) was also involved in exposing the alleged plot.
According to investigators, Aman was initially contacted on social media by people linked to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Police say he was honey-trapped and then assigned reconnaissance tasks involving military installations and logistical routes in the sensitive Kathua border belt.
Investigators allege that he later installed a high-definition smart CCTV camera outside his residence, pointing it towards a road regularly used by security forces. The camera was SIM-enabled, meaning it operated through a mobile network rather than local Wi-Fi or broadband. Officials say this arrangement allowed a continuous feed of activity in the area.
Intelligence sources described the set-up as a kind of permanent digital observation post, eliminating the need for foreign operatives to remain physically present on the Indian side. The footage was allegedly transmitted in real time and encrypted, showing troop deployments, artillery movement and military supply convoys to handlers across the border.
Police sources said Aman was allegedly paid Rs 20,000 to buy and install the camera, and that the money was routed through a Dubai-based channel. Investigators are now looking into the full payment trail, the extent of the information that may have been shared, and whether more people were involved in the network.
The arrest comes amid growing concern over the use of commercially available technology for surveillance near sensitive military areas. Officials have pointed out that this is the second case in the Jammu region in four months involving alleged ISI-linked digital surveillance, rather than the older practice of simply sharing photographs.
In May, a 23-year-old man from Jammu was arrested on similar allegations after being contacted through social media. Police say the latest case suggests a shift towards inexpensive, easily available hardware that can provide continuous remote access to military movement without requiring elaborate field networks.
Police have seized Aman’s mobile phone and other electronic devices for forensic examination. The probe is continuing, but officials have not disclosed how long the alleged livestreaming had been going on or identified the handlers involved. Aman remains in custody.
