Counterterrorism police arrest 12 in Pakistan over alleged Indian spy links

Punjab’s Counterterrorism Department (CTD) has arrested 12 people in three cities on allegations they were working with India’s intelligence agency, RAW, officials said Monday.

The suspects were detained in raids in Lahore, Faisalabad and Bahawalpur, the CTD said in a statement. Police said they seized weapons, explosives and detonators, as well as photographs and video of what officials described as “sensitive” locations and institutions.

A CTD spokesperson said location data, images and videos of a religious school and a local festival were also recovered.

Authorities identified those arrested in Lahore as Sukhdeep Singh, Azmat, Faizan, Nabeel, Abrar, Usman and Sarfraz. In Faisalabad, a suspect named Danish was detained, and in Bahawalpur, four others — Rajab, Hashim, Saqib and Arif — were taken into custody.

Police said the group was identified through a Facebook account called “Adil,” which investigators believe was operated from India. The spokesperson said Singh was born Christian and converted to another religion some time ago.

The CTD accused RAW of providing funding to the suspects. Cases have been registered and investigations are underway, it said.

Pakistan’s CTD units regularly conduct operations nationwide to prevent attacks and gather intelligence.

In August, CTD officials in Sindh province said they uncovered RAW’s alleged role in a targeted killing in Badin, arresting six suspects. In June, four suspected Indian agents were detained in Karachi’s Quaidabad district.