The number of arrests related to ISI-backed espionage cases has significantly increased in the past year. Recruiters and handlers from Pakistan are targeting individuals in India through social media, manipulating them into becoming spies. These individuals, often social media content creators, are lured with promises of engagement and followers by fake accounts created by ISI operatives.
These unsuspecting individuals are gradually coerced into sharing sensitive information and shooting videos of specific locations without realizing the implications. The influencers are offered higher payments compared to smaller content creators, who are enticed with likes and engagement. An example is Zaid Khan, arrested for spying after being manipulated into collecting sensitive information by individuals posing as followers on social media.
The ISI’s strategy involves exploiting individuals’ obsession with engagement on social media to build an extensive espionage network in India. This intensified post ‘Operation Sindoor,’ aiming to gather information on India’s Defense sector to potentially undermine the armed forces. Intelligence agencies are closely monitoring both influencers and ordinary social media users to counter these espionage attempts.
