In recent months, Indian intelligence agencies have observed a major shift in the espionage tactics used by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The new strategy involves recruiting common civilians, using third-party routes like Nepal, and deploying social media influencers, vloggers, and visa agents to collect sensitive information within India.
This tactic marks a departure from traditional methods involving trained spies. Instead, ISI now uses unsuspecting individuals who are lured with money, promises of visas, or ideological indoctrination.
🧭 Key Routes: From West Asia to India via Nepal
The ISI is now capitalizing on the Nepal-India corridor as a transit and infiltration route. Individuals working in the Gulf—especially in Qatar, UAE, and Saudi Arabia—are identified and recruited. They are trained in Pakistan or third-party countries and then enter India through Nepal, avoiding direct Pakistan-India borders to evade scrutiny.
Case Pattern:
Origin: Qatar, Dubai, Saudi Arabia
Recruitment: Through Pakistani handlers
Training: ISI-run facilities in Pakistan or PoK
Transit: Via Nepal or Bangladesh
Entry into India: Through porous Indo-Nepal borders
🧑💻 Civilians Turned Spies: New Espionage Archetypes
The ISI has moved beyond traditional spies and now recruits from unusual backgrounds:
1. Taxi Drivers in Gulf Countries
Indian nationals working as drivers are approached by ISI handlers and indoctrinated with extremist ideology. On returning to India, they act as informants and couriers for espionage operations.
2. Social Media Vloggers
Vloggers showcasing travel destinations or pilgrimage sites are manipulated into capturing videos or images of strategic locations. Some have been found recording military bases, border outposts, and railway junctions, unknowingly aiding enemy reconnaissance.
3. Visa Agents and Pilgrimage Coordinators
Pakistani operatives embedded in visa consultancies offer quick approvals to Indian citizens traveling to Pakistan. In exchange, these travelers are either indoctrinated or used to carry back intelligence materials.
4. Drug Addicts and Low-Income Youth
A growing trend is the exploitation of vulnerable youth, especially those addicted to drugs, who are promised financial support in return for carrying SIM cards, photos, or GPS coordinates of sensitive zones.
🧠 Sleeper Cells and Long-Term Networks
Some of the most concerning developments involve sleeper cells planted years ago, now being activated. These individuals often maintain low profiles — as small business owners, students, or NGO workers — while secretly aiding ISI objectives.
These networks:
Communicate via encrypted apps
Use international SIM cards
Transfer micro-payments through hawala or digital wallets
Rely on coded language on social media
📉 Strategic Shift in ISI Tactics
| Old Tactics | New Tactics |
|---|---|
| Professional agents | Civilian proxies |
| Direct border infiltration | Third-country transit (Nepal, Bangladesh) |
| Physical spying | Digital surveillance via social media |
| Embassy support | Informal networks via diaspora & business |
🇮🇳 Indian Security Response
India's intelligence agencies have responded by:
Strengthening Indo-Nepal border surveillance
Tracking Gulf returnees with suspicious activity
Monitoring social media influencers and YouTubers
Increasing checks on foreign-funded visa agents and NGOs
Deploying AI tools to flag potential sleeper cells
⚠️ National Security Implications
This evolution in spy tactics poses serious security risks:
Wider recruitment base makes detection difficult
Use of third-party countries complicates diplomatic responses
Digital and social infiltration increases vulnerability across sectors
Blurring of civilian and military targets adds complexity to counter-espionage
✅ Conclusion
The changing face of espionage shows that the ISI is adapting to new realities by exploiting soft routes, unsuspecting individuals, and digital ecosystems. India’s counterintelligence must evolve accordingly, emphasizing cross-border coordination, cyber intelligence, and civilian awareness.
Vigilance is now required not just at borders but within cities, communities, and cyberspace.
Published on 3rd july
Publisher : SMITA
www.vizzve.com || www.vizzveservices.com
Follow us on social media: Facebook || Linkedin || Instagram
🛡 Powered by Vizzve Financial
RBI-Registered Loan Partner | 10 Lakh+ Customers | ₹600 Cr+ Disbursed.