A high level internal probe by the government into a recent intelligence alert that caused considerable embarrassment to New Delhi’s security and intelligence establishment has revealed that the country’s premiere external intelligence agency, RAW, had been 'deliberately set up and wrong information was planted on it by a high value source'.
It has also been revealed, sources added, that this was done deliberately at the behest of Pakistan’s intelligence agency to tarnish RAW’s credibility.
A few days ago, the Intelligence Bureau had issued an alert, on basis of inputs given by RAW, that five terrorist had sneaked into India to target vital installations in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Punjab. The intelligence agency had also released photographs of the suspects as well. But subsequently it was learnt that three out of these five suspects — Atif Bhatt, Mehtab Bhatt and Baber Shabbir — are actually present in Lahore where two were working as businessmen and the third as a security guard.
According to highly placed sources involved in probing this intelligence goof-up the tip-off was based on 'human intelligence' that came from Pakistan itself. But apparently 'RAW’s source was relatively new and his credibility had not been tested in the past,’’ the probe reveals.
Though the source was fairly important but it is now learnt that his credibility had not been tested in the past. From all possible accounts the source planted wrong information on RAW which is turning out to be an embarrassment now,’’ a top intelligence official said.
Sources in RAW, however, continue to maintain that the information was 'highly credible' and though the three suspects may be in Lahore their terror links cannot be doubted.
Even while various agencies were analysing the RAW input on this specific terror alert, the Multi Agency Centre of IB had red flagged the information.
But it seems the external intelligence agency was very sure about its tip-off and asked the IB to go ahead with sensitising the concerned states over the terror alert. A blame game has already started among various agencies over the goof-up as it is likely to come up during the India-Pakistan home secretary level talks.