Khalistan groups turn to jail networks to recruit operatives across north India: Intel

Intelligence agencies are investigating pro-Khalistan groups recruiting within jails across north India

NEW DELHI: Intelligence agencies have flagged attempts by pro-Khalistan groups, including Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), to infiltrate jails in north India and recruit operatives.

The move comes amid revelations made by a recently detained operative who disclosed having been inducted and given Gurpatwant Singh Pannun's contact while serving time in Patiala jail.Agencies are now investigating the digital footprint, dead-drop financial channels, and the broader jail recruitment network, sources said. Agencies have also noted how ISI-backed modules are increasingly relying on dead-drop methods to channel funds, supply weapons, and execute covert tasks and have largely replaced physical handovers with pre-designated drop points along isolated highway stretches and border and rural sectors.Drawn straight from the classic spycraft playbook, this method ensures that foreign masterminds or handlers remain completely insulated from the foot soldiers executing their commands on the ground. Arms, ammunition, and untraceable cash, frequently delivered across the border via drones or covert couriers, are hidden at specific coordinates, with retrieval instructions transmitted to local operatives over end-to-end encrypted messaging platforms like Signal.

The tactic of leveraging prison networks draws from a pattern highlighted by high-profile incidents like the 2016 Nabha jailbreak, which exposed the nexus between terror outfits and incarcerated criminal groups. Within these facilities, handlers and radicalised inmates target vulnerable, economically distressed prisoners - frequently first-time offenders or petty criminals lacking legal representation and financial support.In the latest instance, agencies recently busted an SFJ-backed module and arrested operative Preetpal Singh, who, along with his associates, had spray-painted anti-Brics and pro-Khalistan graffiti across Delhi and Punjab, filmed the act and sent the video to Pannun. Singh, it turned out, had a prior history of pro-Khalistan activities, having been arrested in 2023 for a similar crime.While in prison, he was provided with a phone number to contact Pannun and execute future tasks. After his release in 2026, Singh established direct contact with Pannun and received Rs 1.5 lakh through a dead-drop location on the Faridkot-Amritsar highway. Preetpal subsequently recruited another inmate, also on bail, for the Delhi assignment.