Security agencies conned into issuing fake May 6 terror alert?

New Delhi, May 14: Were Indian security agencies conned into issuing the May 6 terror alert when photographs of four traders and a security guard from Pakistan were splashed as those of Lashkar terrorists who had sneaked into India to carry out attacks in Mumbai?

As the government probes the embarrassment which on Sunday sparked protests from traders in Lahore, they are closely looking at the possibility of an Indian intelligence operative having been hoaxed by Pakistani tricksters who have been seeking to exploit India's anxiety to prevent terror attacks from across the border.

Sources in the government said that post-26/11, conmen have been approaching Indian agencies and journalists; in one case even a politician, offering "credible information" for money.

The usual modus operandi is to offer "information"; for instance a photograph of what is claimed to be an ISI facility or a terrorist training camp at an undisclosed location deep inside Pakistan. Although the veracity of "inputs" cannot be ascertained, Indian agencies with their dire need for intelligence on terror plots are compelled not to disregard them. Confidence gained, the tricksters are in business, regularly peddling information for amounts which have increased considerably after the attack on Mumbai.

Only in this instance, the swindlers artfully raised their game by passing off photographs of the "terrorists" who had sneaked in Mumbai via the sea route and the details of their plan to target Mumbai. The Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) deemed the intelligence so sensitive and credible that it was instantly shared with the Intelligence Bureau, leading the Multiple Agency Centre to alert police in Maharashtra and Gujarat against what appeared to be an attempt to repeat 26/11. Sources don't rule out the possibility of "sources" having been even handsomely rewarded for the information.

In the event, three of the terrorists turned out to be mobile phone traders operating from Lahore's popular electronic market Hafeez Centre. Another member of the group is an employee with one of the shops, while the remaining one is a security guard working there.

All of them approached Lahore Police for protection after they got to know about reports in Indian media about the alert against their presence in Mumbai for a major terrorist attack.

The bungle, which has many in Pakistan gloating, has led to calls for setting up a national data base of intelligence sources who could regularly be audited for credibility. It has also underlined India's continuing inability to access reliable real-time information on Pakistan-based terror groups who represent a major security challenge.

With no credible network of their own in Pakistan, Indian agencies are forced to depend on paid contacts, many of them smugglers and petty criminals, who move across the border and return with sensational claims for a payment. It is feared that the shadowy set could well be working for agencies in Pakistan too. In fact, many in the Indian security establishment suspect that one such double agent could be behind the May 6 fraud perpetrated on RAW.

Yet, intelligence agencies are compelled to remain engaged with the cross-border operatives who, besides being paid, are also allowed to carry on with their criminal activities. "These cross-border contacts seem to know the helplessness of our agencies, and are adept at exploiting it," an official said.

So there is no let up in the flow of "information" from "Pakistani contacts". Just before Republic Day this year, RAW came up with a sensational claim that over 100 Pakistan-trained terrorists had gathered at various launch pads across the international border and Line of Control, waiting for an opportunity to sneak into India. These terrorists were to target Mumbai and Delhi. Of them, some 20 were trained for underwater operations, the alert claimed. After several rounds of meetings in the security establishment, serious questions emerged about the credibility of the information, leading RAW to quietly withdaw the alert.

A similar "intelligence" industry exists, although on a much smaller scale, along the Bangladesh border too. Last year, the West Bengal police "sourced" photographs of two alleged terrorists who were planning to attack Mumbai. A detailed scrutiny revealed that the photographs were fake.

In fact, Assam police for years kept issuing alarming terror alerts based on their cross-border contacts. They have stopped doing so after an overwhelming majority of warnings turned out to be spurious.