In spy thriller style, Indian Intelligence has neutralised at least a dozen dangerous terror operatives and enemy agents in the last two years, according to sources in the security establishment. One of these ‘sleeper cells’ was apparently plotting an attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Many of these operations were carried out jointly by the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) in perfect coordination. In many cases, RAW would track a spy from abroad and tip off the IB in India. They would then meticulously plan and wait for the right moment before eliminating the threat in joint operations.

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Indian women intel 'plants' have also played a big role in some of these lethal missions, mostly as decoy.

Without getting into specifics, a top official in the security establishment confirmed that RAW and IB had been jointly carrying out several such missions to eliminate threats to the nation.

MyNation has learnt that in one such operation, Indian agencies got information on an ISIS-run chemical lab in Syria. They came to know that a Turkey-based dealer was in touch with a Gujarat-based chemical firm supplying thallium sulphate, a colourless salt used as ‘invisible poison’, which has been mentioned by Agatha Christie in her novels.

Documents were accessed and sent to Delhi claiming that Mohammad Yasir al-Shuma, the middleman, was engaged by ISIS to purchase chemical from India and launch chemical attacks in many countries. Later, in 2017, Iraqi forces with the help of information shared by Indian agencies destroyed the laboratory in Mosul University which had been converted into ISIS weapon lab. A local contact of ISIS in Gujarat was busted in the operation, sources say.

One of these missions was named after a Ramayan character. At least 12 terrorists staying in India as sleeper cells have been neutralised, including three in the Northeast in last two years, a source said, adding that this was “a continuous process to keep the country safe and its secrets intact”.

In another secret operation, a dedicated IB desk learnt that a massive recruitment drive had been started by ISIS in mid-2015 to radicalise youngsters. RAW was roped in and it was found that an Indonesia-based woman who ran many social media groups had zoomed in on some India men keen to be radicalised and join ISIS.

One of India’s foreigner female ‘plants’ then infiltrated the Indonesian woman’s social media network. She tracked a 33-year-old man from Karnataka, Mohammed Sirajuddin, for six months, who was working with the Indian Oil Corporation in Jaipur and was keen to fly to Syria and fight for ISIS. Sirajuddin was arrested in December 2015 by Rajasthan Anti-Terrorism Squad.

Delhi has also seen more than one such operation. Intelligence agencies, for instance, got information about a terrorist having entered Delhi and staying in an upscale south Delhi area. The anti-terror wing of the Delhi Police’s special cell registered a case on October 5, 2017.

Sources say the threat was eventually neutralised.

There are other recent cases of Indian spy agencies dealing effectively with enemy sleeper cells in joint ops, but MyNation chooses not to divulge some of the sensitive information it got from its sources to not jeopardise national security.