RAW

Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW)

Anusaṃdhān Aur Viśleṣaṇ Viṃg

Formed 21 September 1968; 50 years ago

Headquarters CGO Complex, New Delhi, India[1]

28°35′19.0″N77°14′16.3″E

Motto धर्मो रक्षति रतक्षि:

(The law protects when it is protected)

 Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India

Minister

responsible

Wing executive  Anil Dhasmana, IPS, Secretary (R)

Parent Wing Cabinet Secretariat

Child agencies  The Aviation Research Centre

 Radio Research Center
 Electronics and Technical Services
 National Technical Research Organisation
 Special Frontier Force


INTRO
The Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW or RAW) (IAST: Anusaṃdhān Aur Viśleṣaṇ Viṃg) is
the foreign intelligence agency of India. It was established in 1968 following the intelligence
failures of the Sino-Indian war, which persuaded the Government of India to create a specialised,
independent agency dedicated to foreign intelligence gathering;[2] previously, both domestic and
foreign intelligence had been the purview of the Intelligence Bureau.[3]
During the nine-year tenure of its first Director, Rameshwar Nath Kao, R&AW quickly came to
prominence in the global intelligence community, playing a role in major events such as
the independence of Bangladesh and the accession of the state of Sikkim to India.[4] The
agency's primary function is gathering foreign intelligence, engaging in counter-terrorism,
promoting counter-proliferation, advising Indian policymakers, and advancing India's foreign
strategic interests.[5][6][7] It is also involved in the security of India's nuclear programme.[8][9] Many
foreign analysts consider the R&AW to be an effective organisation and identify it as one of the
primary instruments of India's national power.[10][11]
Headquartered in New Delhi, R&AW's current chief is Anil Dhasmana.[12] The head of RAW is
designated Secretary (R) in the Cabinet Secretariat, and is under the direct command of the
Prime Minister and reports on an administrative basis to the Cabinet Secretary of India, who
reports to the Prime Minister.

History[edit]
Background: 1923–68[edit]
Prior to the inception of the Research and Analysis Wing, overseas intelligence collection was
primarily the responsibility of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), which was created by the British. In
1933, sensing the political turmoil in the world which eventually led to the Second World War, the
Intelligence Bureau's responsibilities were increased to include the collection of intelligencealong
India's borders.
In 1947, after independence, Sanjeevi Pillai took over as the first Indian Director of the IB. Having
been depleted of trained manpower by the exit of the British, Pillai tried to run the bureau
on MI5 lines. In 1949, Pillai organised a small foreign intelligence operation, but the Indian
debacle in the Sino-Indian war of 1962 showed it to be ineffective. Foreign intelligence failure
during the 1962 Sino-Indian War led then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to order a dedicated
foreign intelligence agency to be established.[5][7] After the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965,
Indian Chief of Army Staff General Joyanto Nath Chaudhuri also called for more intelligence-
gathering.[5][6] Around the end of 1966 the concept of a separate foreign intelligence agency
began to take concrete shape.

RAW: 1968–present[edit]
The Indira Gandhi administration decided that a full-fledged second security service was
needed. R. N. Kao, then a deputy director of the Intelligence Bureau, submitted a blueprint for
the new agency.[13] Kao was appointed as the chief of India's first foreign intelligence agency, the
Research and Analysis Wing.[14]:259 The R&AW was given the responsibility for strategic external
intelligence, human as well as technical, plus concurrent responsibility with the Directorate-
General of Military Intelligence for tactical trans-border military intelligence up to a certain depth
across the Line of control (LOC) and the international border.[5][7]
The framework of Indian intelligence

R&AW started as a wing of the main Intelligence Bureau with 250 employees and an annual
budget of ₹20 million (US$278,528.00). In the early seventies, its annual budget had risen
to ₹300 million (US$4.2 million) while its personnel numbered several thousand. In 1971, Kao
had persuaded the Government to set up the Aviation Research Centre (ARC). The ARC's job
was aerial reconnaissance.[15][16] It replaced the Indian Air Force's old reconnaissance aircraft and
by the mid-1970s, R&AW, through the ARC, had high quality aerial pictures of the installations
along the Chinese and Pakistani borders. Presently, the budget of R&AW is speculated to be as
high as US$450 million[17][18] to as low as US$100 million.[19]
Slowly other child agencies such as The Radio Research Center and Electronics & Tech.
Services were added to R&AW in the 1970s and 1990s. In the 1970s the Special Frontier
Force moved to R&AW's control, working to train Bengali rebels.[14]:262 In 1977, R&AW's
operations and staff were dramatically cut under the Premiership of Morarji Desai, which hurt the
organization's capabilities[20] with the shutting of entire sections of R&AW, like its Information
Division.[21] These cuts were reduced following Gandhi's return.
In 2004 Government of India added yet another signal intelligence agency called the National
Technical Facilities Organisation (NTFO), which was later renamed as National Technical
Research Organisation (NTRO). While the exact nature of the operations conducted by NTRO is
classified, it is believed that it deals with research on imagery and communications using various
platforms.[5][6][6]
The Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC), under the Cabinet Secretariat, is responsible for
coordinating and analysing intelligence activities between R&AW, the Intelligence Bureau and
the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA). In practice, however, the effectiveness of the JIC has
been varied.[22] With the establishment of the National Security Council in 1999, the role of the
JIC has been merged with the NSC. R&AW's legal status is unusual, in that it is not an "Agency",
but a "Wing" of the Cabinet Secretariat. Hence, R&AW is not answerable to the Parliament of
India on any issue, which keeps it out of reach of the Right to Information Act.[23][24] This
exemption was granted through Section 24 read with Schedule II of the act.[25] However,
information regarding the allegations of corruption and human rights violations has to be
disclosed.[25][26]

Objectives[edit]
The present R&AW [27] objectives include:

 Monitoring the political, military, economic and scientific developments in countries which
have a direct bearing on India's national security and the formulation of its foreign policy.
 Moulding international public opinion and influence foreign governments with the help of the
strong and vibrant Indian diaspora.
 Covert Operations to safe guard India's National interests.
 Anti – Terror Operations and neutralising terror elements posing a threat to India.
In the past, following the Sino-Indian war of 1962 and due to India's volatile relations with
Pakistan, R&AW's objectives had also consisted the following:

 To watch the development of international communism and the schism between the two big
communist nations, the Soviet Union and China. As with other countries, both these powers
had direct access to the communist parties in India.
 To control and limit the supply of military hardware to Pakistan, from mostly European
countries, America and more importantly from China.[5][6]

Organisational structure[edit]

Organisational structure of R&AW.

R&AW has been organised on the lines of the CIA.[28] The head of R&AW is
designated Secretary (R) in the Cabinet Secretariat. Most of the previous chiefs have been
experts on either Pakistan or China.[29] They also have the benefit of training in either the USA or
the UK, and more recently in Israel.[30] The Secretary (R), is under the direct command of Prime
Minister, and reports on an administrative basis to the Cabinet Secretary, who reports to the
Prime Minister. On a daily basis the Secretary (R) also reports to the National Security Adviser.
Reporting to the Secretary (R) are:[31][32]

 An Additional Secretary responsible for the Office of Special Operations and intelligence
collected from different countries processed by large number of Joint Secretaries, who are
the functional heads of various specified desks with different regional
divisions/areas/countries: Area one – Pakistan; Area two – China and Southeast Asia; Area
three – the Middle East and Africa; and Area four – other countries. Two Special Joint
Secretaries, reporting to the Additional Secretary, head the Electronics and Technical
Department which is the nodal agency for ETS, NTRO and the RRC.
 The Directorate General of Security has two important sections – the Aviation Research
Centre is headed by one Special Secretary and the Special Services Bureau controlled by
two Special Secretaries.[33]
The internal structure of the R&AW is a matter of speculation, but brief overviews of the same
are present in the public domain. Attached to the Headquarters of R&AW at Lodhi Road, New
Delhi are different regional headquarters, which have direct links to overseas stations and are
headed by a controlling officer who keeps records of different projects assigned to field officers
who are posted abroad. Intelligence is usually collected from a variety of sources by field officers
and deputy field officers; it is either preprocessed by a senior field officer or by a desk officer.
The desk officer then passes the information to the Joint Secretary and then on to the Additional
Secretary and from there it is disseminated to the concerned end user. R&AW personnel are
called "Research Officers" instead of the traditional "agents". There is a sizeable number of
female officers in R&AW even at the operational level. In recent years, R&AW has shifted its
primary focus from Pakistan to China and have started operating a separate desk for this
purpose.[31]
Functions and methods[edit]
Activities and functions of R&AW are highly confidential and declassification of past operations
are uncommon unlike agencies like CIA, MI6 and Mossad who have many of their activities
declassified. The Secretary (R) reported to the Vohra Committee that R&AW offices abroad have
limited strength and are largely geared to the collection
of military, economic, scientific and political intelligence. R&AW monitors the activities of certain
organisations abroad only insofar as they relate to their involvement with narco terrorist elements
and smuggling arms, ammunition, explosives, etc. into India.[54] It does not monitor the activities
of criminal elements abroad, which are mainly confined to normal smuggling without any links to
terrorist elements. However, if there is evidence to suggest that certain organisations have links
with Intelligence agencies of other countries, and that they are being used or are likely to be used
by such countries for destabilising India's economy, it would become R&AW's responsibility to
monitor their activities.[5][6]
The primary mission of R&AW includes aggressive intelligence collection via
espionage, psychological warfare, subversion, sabotage and assassinations.[55] R&AW maintains
active collaboration with other secret services in various countries. Its contacts with FSB of
Russia, NDS, the Afghan agency, Israel's Mossad, the CIA and MI6 have been well-known, a
common interest being Pakistan's nuclear programme.[56] R&AW has been active in obtaining
information and operating through third countries like Afghanistan, the United Kingdom, Hong
Kong, Myanmar and Singapore.[5]
R&AW obtains information critical to Indian strategic interests both by overt and covert means.
The data is then classified and filed with the assistance of the computer networks. International
business houses, information technology sector and media centres can easily absorb R&AW
operatives and provide freedom of movement.[5][6] A task force report prepared by a New Delhi-
based security think tank highlighted that R&AW operatives have inadequate non-official cover
for overseas operations which 'limits access to spot real targets' and causes issues on handling
'high-value assets'.[43]

Operations[edit]
 ELINT operations aimed at China:[57] After China tested its first nuclear weapons on 16
October 1964, at Lop Nur, Xinjiang, India and the USA shared a common fear about the
nuclear capabilities of China.[58] Owing to the extreme remoteness of Chinese testing
grounds, strict secrecy surrounding the Chinese nuclear programme, and the extreme
difficulty that an Indian or American would have passing themselves off as Chinese, it was
almost impossible to carry out any HUMINT operation. So, the CIA in the late 1960s decided
to launch an ELINT operation along with RAW and ARC to track China's nuclear tests and
monitor its missile launches. The operation, in the garb of a mountaineering expedition
to Nanda Devi involved celebrated Indian climber M S Kohli who along with operatives
of Special Frontier Force and the CIA – most notably Jim Rhyne, a veteran STOL pilot – was
to place a permanent ELINT device, a transceiver powered by a plutonium battery, that could
detect and report data on future nuclear tests carried out by China.[59] The monitoring device
was near successfully implanted on Nanda Devi, when an avalanche forced a hasty
withdrawal.[60] Later, a subsequent mountain operation to retrieve or replant the device was
aborted when it was found that the device was lost. Recent reports indicate that radiation
traces from this device have been discovered in sediment below the mountain.[61] However,
the actual data is not conclusive.
In more recent time, under a security agreement with Mongolia, R&AW along with NTRO
have set up cybertapping infrastructure on the main internet communication cable in
Mongolia which links rest of the world to China. Giving India unparalleled access to
monitor and intercept outgoing and incoming internet traffic from China.[62]

 Creation of Bangladesh and aftermath:[63][64] In the early 1970s the army of

Pakistan launched military crackdown in response to the Bangladesh independence
movement.[65][66] Nearly 10 million refugees fled to India. R&AW was instrumental in the
formation of the Bangladeshi guerilla organisation Mukti Bahini and responsible for
supplying information, providing training and heavy ammunition to this organisation. It is
also alleged that R&AW planned and executed the 1971 Indian Airlines hijacking as
a false flag operation to ban overflight by Pakistani aircraft and disrupt Pakistani troop
movement in East Pakistan.[7] Special Frontier Force, the paramilitary wing of R&AW
actively participated in military operations especially in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.[67] The
war ended in the successful creation of Bangladesh.However, four years later Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman was assassinated on 15 August 1975 at his residence.[68] RAW
operatives claimed that they had advance information about Mujib-ur-Rahman's
assassination but Sheikh Mujib tragically ignored inputs.[13] He was killed along with 40
members of his family. R&AW thus failed to prevent the assassination which led to the
loss of a charismatic leader who was appreciative of India for its help. Later, R&AW
successfully thwarted plans of assassinating Sheikh Hasina Wazed, daughter of Mujibur
Rahman, by Islamist extremists.[69]
 Operation Smiling Buddha: Operation Smiling Buddha was the name given to India's
nuclear programme. The task to keep it under tight wraps for security was given to
RAW.[70] This was the first time that R&AW was involved in a project inside India. On 18
May 1974, India detonated a 15-kiloton plutonium device at Pokhran and became a
member of the nuclear club.[6]
 Amalgamation of Sikkim: In 1947 Sikkim became a protectorate under India, which
controlled its external affairs, defence, diplomacy and communications. It is alleged that
in 1972 R&AW was authorised to install a pro-Indian democratic government
there.[6][71] After widespread rioting and demonstration against the King of Sikkim in 1975
a referendum was held in which 97.5% of the electorate (in a nation where 59% of the
population could vote) voted to join the Indian Union. On 16 May 1975, Sikkim officially
became the 22nd state of the Indian Union, and the monarchy was abolished.[72]
 Kahuta's Blueprint:[73][74] Kahuta is the site of the Khan Research Laboratories (KRL),
Pakistan's main nuclear weapons laboratory as well as an emerging centre for long-
range missile development. The primary Pakistani missile-material production facility is
located at Kahuta, employing gas centrifuge enrichment technology to produce Highly
Enriched Uranium (HEU). R&AW first confirmed Pakistan's nuclear programs by
analysing the hair samples snatched from the floor of barber shops near KRL; which
showed that Pakistan had developed the ability to enrich uranium to weapons-grade
quality. RAW agents knew of Kahuta Research Laboratories from at least early
1978,[75] when the then Indian Prime Minister, Morarji Desai, accidentally thwarted
R&AW's operations on Pakistan's covert nuclear weapons program. In an indiscreet
moment in a telephone conversation one day, Morarji Desai informed the then Pakistan
President, Zia-ul-Haq, that India was aware of Pakistan's nuclear weapons program.
According to later reports, acting on this "tip-off", Pakistani Intelligence eliminated RAW's
sources on Kahuta, leaving India in the dark about Pakistan's nuclear weapons program
from then on.[6][7][76]
 Operation Lal Dora: In February 1983, Mauritian Prime Minister Anerood Jugnauth
requested assistance from Mrs Indira Gandhi in the event of a coup by Berenger. In
 March 1983, Gandhi ordered the Indian Army and Navy to prepare for a military
intervention against a possible coup against the Jugnauth government. But the military
intervention was put off by Mrs. Gandhi, after a squabble between the Indian Navy and
Army, on who would lead the operation. Instead, she chose to task the Research and
Analysis Wing's then chief, Nowsher F. Suntook, with supervising a largely intelligence-
led operation to reunite the Indian community whose fracturing along ideological and
communal lines had allowed Mr. Berenger to mount a political challenge.[77]
 Operation Meghdoot: R&AW received information from the London company which had
supplied Arctic-weather gear for Indian troops from Northern Ladakh region some
paramilitary forces that Pakistan too had bought similar Arctic-weather gear.[78] This
information was shared with Indian Army which soon launched Operation Meghdoot to
take control of Siachen Glacier with around 300[78] acclimatised troops were airlifted to
Siachen before Pakistan could launch any operation resulting in Indian head start and
eventual Indian domination of all major peaks in Siachen.[78]
 Kanishka Bombing case:[79][80][81] On 23 June 1985 Air India's Flight 182 was blown up
near Ireland and 329 people died. On the same day, another explosion took place at
Tokyo's Narita airport's transit baggage building where baggage was being transferred
from Cathay Pacific Flight No CP 003 to Air India Flight 301 which was scheduled
for Bangkok. Both aircraft were loaded with explosives from Canadian airports. Flight
301 got saved because of a delay in its departure. This was considered as a major
setback to R&AW for failing to gather enough intelligence about the Khalistani
terrorists.[82][83]
 Special Operations: In the mid-1980s, R&AW set up two covert
groups, Counterintelligence Team-X(CIT-X) and Counterintelligence Team-J(CIT-J), the
first directed at Pakistan[84] and the second at Khalistani groups.[85] Rabinder Singh, the
RAW double agent who defected to the United States in 2004, helped run CIT-J in its
early years. Both these covert groups used the services of cross-border traffickers to
ferry weapons and funds across the border, much as their ISI counterparts were doing.
According to former RAW official and noted security analyst B. Raman, the Indian
counter-campaign yielded results. "The role of our cover action capability in putting an
end to the ISI's interference in Punjab", he wrote in 2002, "by making such interference
prohibitively costly is little known and understood." These covert operations were
discontinued during the tenure of IK Gujral and were never restarted.[86] As per B
Raman a former RAW Additional Secretary, such covert operations were successful in
keeping a check on ISI and were "responsible for ending the Khalistani
insurgency".[87] He also notes that a lack of such covert capabilities, since they were
closed down in 1997, has left the country even more vulnerable than before and says
that developing covert capabilities is the need of the hour.[88]
 Operation Cactus:[89] In November 1988, the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil
Eelam (PLOTE), composed of about 200 Tamil secessionist rebels, invaded Maldives. At
the request of the president of Maldives, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, the Indian Armed
Forces, with assistance from RAW, launched a military campaign to throw the
mercenaries out of Maldives. On the night of 3 November 1988, the Indian Air
Force airlifted the 6th parachute battalion of the Parachute Regiment from Agra and flew
them over 2,000 km to Maldives. The Indian paratroopers landed at Hulule and restored
the Government rule at Malé within hours. The operation, labelled Operation Cactus,
also involved the Indian Navy. Swift operation by the military and precise intelligence by
R&AW quelled the insurgency.[6]
 Sri Lanka:[90][91] RAW started training the LTTE to keep a check on Sri Lanka,[92] which
had helped Pakistan in the Indo-Pak War by allowing Pakistani ships to refuel at Sri
Lankan ports. However, the LTTE created a lot of problems and complications and the
then Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi was forced to send the Indian Peace Keeping
Force (IPKF) in 1987 to restore normalcy in the region. The disastrous mission of the
IPKF was blamed by many on the lack of coordination between the IPKF and RAW. Its
most disastrous manifestation was the Heliborne assault on LTTE HQ in the Jaffna
University campus in the opening stages of Operation Pawan. The site was chosen
without any consultation with the RAW. The dropping paratroopers became easy targets
 for the LTTE. A number of soldiers were killed. The assassination of Rajiv Gandhi is also
blamed as a fallout of the failed RAW operation in Sri Lanka.[93][better source needed]
 Anti-Apartheid Movement: R&AW trained the intelligence officers of many independent
African countries and assisted the anti-apartheid struggles in South Africa and Namibia.
Retired R&AW officers were deputed to work in training institutes of intelligence
agencies of some African states.[94]
 Operation Chanakya:[95] This was the RAW operation in the Kashmir region to infiltrate
various ISI-backed Kashmiri separatist groups and restore peace in the Kashmir valley.
R&AW operatives infiltrated the area, collected military intelligence, and provided
evidence about ISI's involvement in training and funding Kashmiri separatist
groups.[96][97] RAW was successful not only in unearthing the links between the ISI and
the separatist groups, but also in infiltrating and neutralising the militancy in the Kashmir
valley.[98][99][100] RAW is also credited for creating a split in the Hizb-ul-
Mujahideen.[101] Operation Chanakya also marked the creation of pro-Indian groups in
Kashmir like the Ikhwan-ul-Muslimeen, Muslim Mujahideen etc. These counter-
insurgencies consist of ex-militants and relatives of those slain in the conflict. Ikhwan-ul-
Muslimeen leader Kokka Parrey was himself assassinated by separatists.[5]
 Operation against Jamat-e-Islami terror camps in Bangladesh:[102] Months after
Begum Khaleda Zia swept Bangladesh election in February 1991, India's external spy
agency Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW) was alarmed over increased harassment of
pro-India politicians, large-scale radicalisation and meticulously planned infiltration of
trained jihadis into Indian territory by Jamaat-e-Islami, that was operating as a semi-
autonomous political force under the newly elected government of Bangladesh
Nationalist Party (BNP).In early 1992, after gathering accurate leads on Jamaat cells,
tactics and networks, the R&AW spies launched a daring operation in the Bangladesh
sanctuary and dismantled terror camps using resilient tradecraft and a determined group
of assets handpicked by a R&AW handler.Several Jamaat terror training camps located
along the border and their facilities in the Satkhira, Khulna, Chittagong, Rajshahi and
Jessore districts were bombed by the R&AW assets. RAW also targeted an ISI safe
house in the capital city Dhaka, bringing down the entire building. The operation helped
the Indian security establishment to put a lid on the radical organisation’s infiltration into
India for the time being.
 Help to the Northern Alliance: After the rise of Pakistan backed Taliban in Afghanistan,
India decided to side with the Northern Alliance[103] By 1996, R&AW had built a 25-bed
military hospital[104] at the Farkhor Air Base.[105] This airport was used by the Aviation
Research Centre, the reconnaissance arm of RAW, to repair and operate the Northern
Alliance's aerial support. This relationship was further cemented in the 2001 Afghan war.
India supplied the Northern Alliance high altitude warfare equipment worth
around US$8–10 million.[106][107] R&AW was the first intelligence agency to determine the
extent of the Kunduz airlift.[108]
 Kargil War: R&AW was heavily criticised in 1999, following the Pakistani incursions at
Kargil. Critics accused R&AW of failing to provide intelligence that could have prevented
the ensuing ten-week conflict that brought India and Pakistan to the brink of a full-scale
war.[109] While the Army has been critical of the information they received R&AW has
pointed the finger at the politicians, claiming they had provided all the necessary
information. However, R&AW was successful in intercepting a telephonic conversation
between Pervez Musharraf, the then Pakistan Army Chief who was in Beijing and his
chief of staff Lt. Gen. Mohammed Aziz in Islamabad.[110] This tape was later published by
India to prove Pakistani involvement in the Kargil incursion.[110][111] In 2011, a think tank
report[112] stated that RAW had warned in its October 1998 assessment that Pakistan
Army might launch a limited swift offensive with possible support of alliance partners,
however the government ignored such reports.[113][114][115]
 Operation Leech: Surrounded by Arakanese and dense forest, Myanmar had always
been a worrisome point for Indian intelligence. India has sought to promote democracy
and install friendly governments in the region. To these ends, RAW cultivated Burmese
rebel groups and pro-democracy coalitions, especially the Kachin Independence
Army (KIA). India allowed the KIA to carry a limited trade in jade and precious stones
 using Indian territory and even supplied them weapons. It is further alleged that KIA
chief Maran Brang Seng met the RAW chief in Delhi twice. However, when the KIA
became the main source of training and weapons for all northeastern rebel groups,
R&AW initiated an operation, code named Operation Leech, to assassinate the leaders
of the Burmese rebels as an example to other groups. in 1998, six top rebel leaders,
including military wing chief of National Unity Party of Arakans (NUPA), Khaing Raza,
were shot dead and 34 Arakanese guerrillas were arrested and charged with
gunrunning.[6][116]
 War on Terror: Although R&AW's contribution to the War on Terror is highly classified,
the organisation gained some attention in the Western media after claims that it was
assisting the United States by providing intelligence on Osama Bin Laden and
the Taliban's whereabouts. Maps and photographs of terrorist training camps in
Afghanistan and Pakistan along with other evidence implicating Osama bin Laden in
terrorist attacks were given to US intelligence officials. RAW's role in the War on Terror
may increase as US intelligence has indicated that it sees RAW as a more reliable ally
than Pakistani intelligence. It has further come to light that a timely tip-off by RAW
helped foil a third assassination plot against Pakistan's former President, General Pervez
Musharraf.[7][117]
 2008 Mumbai attacks: About 2–6 months before 26/11 Mumbai attacks R&AW had
intercepted several telephone calls through SIGINT[118] which pointed at impending
attacks on Mumbai Hotels by Pakistan-based terrorists,[119] however there was a
coordination failure and no follow up action was taken.[120] Few hours before the attacks,
a RAW technician monitoring satellite transmissions picked up conversations between
attackers and handlers, as the attackers were sailing toward Mumbai. The technician
flagged the conversations as being suspicious and passed them on to his superiors.
RAW believed that they were worrying and immediately alerted the office of the National
Security Advisor. However the intelligence was ignored.[121] Later, just after the terrorists
had attacked Mumbai, RAW technicians started monitoring the six phones used by the
terrorists and recorded conversations between the terrorists and their handlers.[122] On 15
January 2010, in a successful snatch operation R&AW agents nabbed Sheikh Abdul
Khwaja, one of the handlers of the 26/11 attacks, chief of HuJI India operations and a
most wanted terror suspect in India, from Colombo, Sri Lanka and brought him over
to Hyderabad, India for formal arrest.[123]
 Snatch operations with IB: In late 2009, investigative journal The Week ran a cover
story on one of India's major clandestine operations that the R&AW ran with Intelligence
Bureau to nab terrorists infiltrating India, via Nepal and other neighbouring
countries.[124] To bypass the lengthy extradition process, R&AW conducts snatch
operations to nab suspects from various foreign countries. The suspect is brought to
India, interrogated in black sites, later shown as arrested at an airport or border post and
is usually produced before a court. With emergence of Nepal as a terror transit point
R&AW and the IB started closely monitoring the movement of suspected terrorists in
Nepal. According to The Week, in last decade there has been close to 400 successful
snatch operations conducted by R&AW and/or IB in Nepal, Bangladesh and other
countries. Some famous snatches netted Bhupinder Singh Bhuda of the Khalistan
Commando Force, Lashkar militant Tariq Mehmood and Abdul Karim
Tunda,[125][126] Sheikh Abdul Khwaja, one of the handlers of the 2008 Mumbai
attacks, Yasin Bhatkal founder leader of the proscribed terrorist organisation Indian
Mujahideen etc. most of the suspects are kept at Tihar Jail.[127]
 Sri Lankan presidential election, 2015 It was alleged by the Sri Lankan newspaper The
Sunday Times, that R&AW had played a role in uniting the opposition, to bring about the
defeat of Mahinda Rajapaksa. There had been growing concern in the Indian
government, on the increasing influence of economic and military rival China in Sri
Lankan affairs. Rajapaksa further upped the ante by allowing 2 Chinese submarines to
dock in 2014, without informing India, in spite of a stand still agreement to this effect
between India and Sri Lanka. The growing Chinese tilt of Rajapaksa was viewed by India
with unease. Further, it was alleged, that a RAW agent, helped coordination of talks
within the opposition, and convincing former PM Ranil Wickremasinghe not to stand
 against Rajapaksa, but to choose a common opposition candidate, who had better
chances of winning. The agent is also alleged to have been in touch with Chandrika
Kumaratunga, who played a key role in convincing Maithripala Sirisena to be the
common candidate. [128] However these allegations were denied by the Indian
Government[129]and the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera.[130]

Controversies[edit]
From its inception R&AW has been criticised for being an agency not answerable to the
people of India (R&AW reports to Prime Minister only). Fears arose that it could turn into
the KGB of India. Such fears were kept at bay by the R&AW's able leadership (although
detractors of R&AW and especially the Janata Party have accused the agency of letting itself
be used for terrorising and intimidating opposition during the 1975–1977 Emergency). The
main controversy which has plagued R&AW in recent years is over bureaucratisation of the
system with allegations about favouritism in promotions, corruption, ego clashes, no financial
accountability,[43] inter-departmental rivalry etc.[131][132][133][134] R&AW also suffers from ethnic
imbalances in the officer level.[135]Noted security analyst and former Additional Secretary B.
Raman has criticised the agency for its asymmetric growth; "while being strong in its
capability for covert action it is weak in its capability for intelligence collection, analysis and
assessment. Strong in low and medium-grade intelligence, weak in high-grade intelligence.
Strong in technical intelligence, weak in human intelligence. Strong in collation, weak in
analysis. Strong in investigation, weak in prevention. Strong in crisis management, weak in
crisis prevention."[136][137]

 In the edition of 8 February 2010 Outlook Magazine reported on former R&AW

Chief, Ashok Chaturvedi, using Government of India funds to take his wife along on
international trips. After retirement, Chaturvedi had a diplomatic passport issued for
himself and his wife. Per Outlook Magazine: "Only grade 'A' ambassadors—usually IFS
officers posted in key countries like the UK and US—are allowed to hold diplomatic
passports after retirement. The majority, who do not fit that bill, hold passports issued to
ordinary citizens. In fact, all former R&AW chiefs Outlook spoke to confirmed they had
surrendered their diplomatic passports the day they retired. And their spouses weren't
entitled to diplomatic passports even while they were in service."[138]
 In September 2007, R&AW was involved in a controversy due to a high-profile CBI raid at
the residence of Major General (retired) V K Singh, a retired Joint Secretary of R&AW
who has recently written a book on R&AW where it was alleged that political interference
and corruption in the intelligence agency has made it vulnerable to defections. One of
the instances of corruption mentioned in the book was the preference given by R&AW
departments towards purchasing intelligence from the Rohde and
Schwarz company.[139] A reason for such corruption as explained by the author is that
"...R&AW was not answerable to any outside agency – the control of the Prime Minister's
Office was perfunctory, at best – many officers thought that they were not only above the
law but a law unto themselves."[140] A case under the Official Secrets Act has also been
filed against V K Singh.[141]
 On 19 August 2008 the R&AW Director (Language) who was also head of the R&AW
Training Institute in Gurgaon from 2005[142] tried to commit suicide in front of Prime
Minister's Office, alleging inaction and wrong findings to a sexual harassment complaint
filed against a Joint Secretary, who was on deputation to R&AW.[143][144] She was
discharged from duty on the ground that she was mentally unfit[145] and that her identity
was disclosed.[146] She was later separately charged with criminal trespass,[147] human
trafficking[148] and for her repeated attempts to commit suicide.[146] The Central
 Administrative Tribunal (CAT) ordered R&AW to reinstate her[149] however R&AW filed an
appeal against the CAT order which is pending before Delhi High Court.[150] On 20
January 2011 she was sent for psychological evaluation[151] and medical detention by a
Delhi High Court judge when she tried to strip herself in the court protesting over the
slow pace of her trial.[152][153] The psychological evaluation report stated that 'she may be
suffering a mental problem due to loss of job and her continuous run-ins at the courts,
but she was certainly not suffering from any permanent or grave mental disorder.'[146] On
15 December 2014, the Supreme Court of India quashed the 2008 media release, which
proclaimed Ms. Bhatia as mentally unstable, on the ground that it affected the "dignity,
reputation and privacy of a citizen".[154]
 A senior technical officer was arrested by CBI on graft charges, on 4 February 2009. The
scientist, a Director level employee, worked in the division that granted export licenses to
companies dealing in "sensitive" items, including defence-related equipment. He was
accused of demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹ 100,000 from a Chennai based
manufacturer for obtaining an export license.[155][156]
 In September 2009, seven Additional Secretaries from the RAS cadre had gone on
protest leave after A. B. Mathur, an IPS officer, superseded them to the post of Special
Secretary.[157][158]Over the years the tussle between the RAS cadre and officers on
deputation from IPS cadre has caused friction in the working of the agency.[159]
Defections and spy scandals[edit]
 In the early 1980s, K.V. Unnikrishnan, a 1962 batch IPS officer, who was posted at
R&AW station in Colombo was honey trapped by CIA. Between 1985 and 1987 when he
was deputed as the station chief at Chennai, coordinating Sri Lanka operations, he gave
away information to his handler on training and arming Tamil groups including LTTE, the
Indian government's negotiating positions on the peace accord with Sri Lanka and the
encryption code used by the agency. He was caught by IB counter-intelligence in 1987,
spent a year in Tihar jail and was dismissed from IPS cadre.[160][161][162]
 In 2004, there was a spy scandal involving the CIA.[163] Rabinder Singh, Joint
Secretary and the head of R&AW's South East Asia department, defected to America on
5 June 2004. R&AW had already become suspicious about his movements and he was
under surveillance for a very long time. Soon he was confronted by Counter Intelligence
officials on 19 April 2004. Despite all precautions, Rabinder Singh managed to defect
with 'sensitive files' he had allegedly removed from R&AW's headquarters in south New
Delhi. This embarrassing fiasco and national security failure were attributed to weak
surveillance, shoddy investigation and lack of coordination between the Counter
Intelligence and Security, Intelligence Bureau (IB) and R&AW.[164]According to
unconfirmed reports, Singh has surfaced in Virginia, USA.[165] Recently in an affidavit
submitted to the court, R&AW deposed that Singh has been traced in New Jersey.[7][166] It
has been speculated in the book Mission R&AW that although the CIA was found directly
involved in compromising Singh and Unnikrishnan, at least eight other R&AW officers
managed to clandestinely migrate and settle in foreign countries like the US and Canada
with the help of their spy agencies.[167]
 In 2007, there was a spy scandal involving Bangladesh.[168] A Bangladeshi DGFI agent
concealed his nationality before joining R&AW, and was known by the name of Diwan
Chand Malik in the agency. He was known to have some important intel which was
damaging for the national security. He joined the agency in 1999 and used to live in
East Delhi. A case of cheating and forgery was filed against him at the Lodhi Colony
police station on the basis of a complaint by a senior R&AW official.[169]
 On 25 March 2016, Pakistan claimed that they arrested a RAW operative by the name
of Kulbhushan Jadhav who was operating in Balochistan province under the
covername Hussain Mubarak Patel. Pakistan claimed that he was carrying a passport
under that fake identity and used to operate a jewellery shop in Chahbahar, Iran. He is
believed to be a retired commander-ranked officer in Indian Navy.[170][171][172] According to a
section of Pakistani media, He was involved in terrorist incidents in Karachi and
Balochistan, most notably the terrorist attack on a bus full of Shia passengers in Safoora
 Goth, Karachi.[173] However, Indian MEA said that though Jadhav was an Indian Navy
officer who retired prematurely, but he has no link with the government.[174] The Indian
High Commission has also sought consular access to Jadhav but Pakistan has not
agreed to it.[175] According to Indian sources, Pakistan has fabricated the documents on
the retired naval officer, Kulbhushan Jadhav, and leaked them without realising glaring
loopholes in the same. The Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also, dismissed
Pakistan's claim and state them as mere a rumour.[175] According to Indian official,
Jadhav owns a cargo business in Iran and had been working out of Bandar
Abbas and Chabahar ports. "It appears that he strayed into Pakistani waters. But there is
also a possibility that he was lured into Pakistan sometime back and fake documents
were created on him by the ISI.[175]

Notable officers[edit]
 Rameshwar Nath Kao, founder director

 K. Sankaran Nair, former director

 B. Raman
 Ravindra Kaushik
INTELLIGENCE BUREAU
Operations
The Intelligence Bureau reportedly has a lot of successes to its credit, but operations conducted
by the IB are rarely declassified. Due to the extreme secrecy surrounding the agency, there is
little concrete information available about it or its activities. The IB was trained by the
Soviet KGB from the 1950s onward until the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The IB was initially India's internal and external intelligence agency. Due to lapses on the part of
the Intelligence Bureau to predict the Sino-Indian War of 1962, and later on, intelligence failure in
the India-Pakistan War in 1965, it was bifurcated in 1968 and entrusted with the task of internal
intelligence only. The external intelligence branch was handed to the newly created Research
and Analysis Wing.[9]
The IB has had mixed success in counter-terrorism. It was reported in 2008 that the IB had been
successful in busting terror modules. It alerted the police before the Hyderabad blasts and gave
repeated warnings of a possible attack on Mumbai through the sea before the November 2008
Mumbai attacks. On the whole, however, the IB came in for some sharp criticism by the media
after the relentless wave of terror attacks in 2008. The government came close to sacking top
intelligence officials soon after 26/11 attacks because of serious lapses that led to the 2008
Mumbai attacks.[10] Heavy politics, under-funding and a shortage of field agents are the chief
problems facing the agency. The overall strength of the agency is believed to be around 25,000,
with 3500-odd field agents operating in the entire country. Of these, many are engaged
in political intelligence.[11][12]

Responsibilities
Shrouded in secrecy, the IB is used to garner intelligence from within India and also execute
counter-intelligence and counter-terrorism tasks. The Bureau comprises employees from law
enforcement agencies, mostly from the Indian Police Service (IPS) or the Indian Revenue
Service (IRS) and the military. However, the Director of Intelligence Bureau (DIB) has always
been an IPS officer. In addition to domestic intelligence responsibilities, the IB is particularly
tasked with intelligence collection in border areas, following the 1951 recommendations of the
Himmat Singh Ji Committee (also known as the North and North-East Border Committee), a task
entrusted to the military intelligence organisations prior to independence in 1947. All spheres of
human activity within India and in the neighborhood are allocated to the charter of duties of the
Intelligence Bureau. The IB was also tasked with other external intelligence responsibilities as of
1951 until 1968, when the Research and Analysis Wing was formed.[5]

Activities
Understanding of the shadowy workings of the IB is largely speculative. Many times even
members' own family members are unaware of their whereabouts. One known task of the IB is to
clear licences to amateur radio enthusiasts. The IB also passes on intelligence between other
Indian intelligence agencies and the police. The Bureau also grants the necessary security
clearances to Indian diplomats and judges before they take the oath. On rare occasions, IB
officers interact with the media during a crisis situation. The IB is also rumoured to intercept and
open around 6,000 letters daily. It also has an email spying system similar
to FBI's Carnivore system.[6] The Bureau is also authorised to conduct wiretapping without
a warrant.[7]
 Workings
The Group A (Gazetted) officers carry out coordination and higher-level management of the IB.
Subsidiary Intelligence Bureaus (SIBs) are headed by officers of the rank of Joint Director or
above, but smaller SIBs are also sometimes headed by Deputy Directors. The SIBs have their
units at district headquarters headed by Assistant Director (AD) or Deputy Central Intelligence
Officers (DCIO). The IB maintains a large number of field units and headquarters (which are
under the control of Joint or Deputy Directors). It is through these offices and the intricate
process of deputation that a very organic linkage between the state police agencies and the IB is
maintained. In addition to these, at the national level the IB has several units (in some cases
SIBs) to keep track of issues like terrorism, counter-intelligence, VIP security, threat assessment
and sensitive areas (i.e. Jammu and Kashmir and such). IB officers (like their counterparts in
R&AW) get monthly special pays and an extra one-month salary every year, as well as better
promotions.

CHILD ORGANISATIONS
Contents

 1 All India Radio Monitoring Service

 2 Aviation Research Centre
 3 Central Bureau of Investigation
 4 Central Economic Intelligence Bureau
 5 Combined Services Detailed Interrogation Centre (India)
 6 Directorate of Enforcement
 7 Defence Intelligence Agency
 8 Department of Criminal Intelligence
 9 Directorate of Air Intelligence
 10 Directorate of Military Intelligence
 11 Directorate of Naval Intelligence
 12 Directorate General of Income Tax Investigation
 13 Directorate of Income Tax (Intelligence and Criminal Investigation)
 14 Directorate of Revenue Intelligence
 15 Economic Intelligence Council
 16 Indian Political Intelligence Office
 17 Intelligence Bureau
 18 Investigation Division of the Central Board of Direct Taxes
 19 Joint Cipher Bureau
 20 Narcotics Control Bureau
 21 National Investigation Agency
 22 National Technical Research Organisation
 23 Radio Research Centre
 24 Regional Economic Intelligence Committee
 25 Research and Analysis Wing
 26 Serious Fraud Investigation Office
 27 Signals Intelligence Directorate
 28 Thuggee and Dacoity Department
 29 Wildlife Crime Control Bureau

All India Radio Monitoring Service[edit]

All India Radio Monitoring Service (AIRMS) is the central monitoring service that monitors
broadcasts in India as well as from all foreign broadcasts of Interest to India.[1][2] AIRMS is located
in Simla.[3] It works in liaison with RAW and Military intelligence.[2]

Aviation Research Centre[edit]

The Aviation Research Centre (ARC) is a part of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) of the
Cabinet Secretariat (Special Requirements) India. The first head of the ARC was R. N. Kao, the
founding chief of R&AW. Over the years the ARC has grown into a large operation and flies a
large and varied fleet.
Aerial surveillance, SIGINT operations, photo reconnaissance flights (PHOTINT),[4] monitoring of
borders, imagery intelligence (IMINT)[5] are the main functions of the Aviation Research Centre
(ARC). The aircraft are fitted with state-of-the-art electronic surveillance equipment and long
range cameras capable of taking pictures of targets from very high altitudes. ARC also takes the
responsibility along with the IAF to transport Special Frontier Force(SFF) commandos from their
trans-location at Sarsawa, 250 km north of New Delhi, though the SFF's own base is
in Chakrata in Uttarakhand (UK) state.
Dum Duma Air Base near Tinsukia in Assam;

Central Bureau of Investigation[edit]

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is the premier
investigating agency of India.[6] Operating under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel,
Public Grievances and Pensions, the CBI is headed by the Cabinet Minister who reports directly
to the Prime Minister. The agency has been known to investigate several economic crimes,
special crimes, cases of corruption and other high-profile cases.[6] The CBI headquarters are
located in New Delhi.
Central Economic Intelligence Bureau[edit]
The Central Economic Intelligence Bureau (CEIB) is an Indian intelligence agency responsible
for gathering information and monitoring the economic and financial sectors for economic
offences and warfare.[1][2]

Combined Services Detailed Interrogation Centre

(India)[edit]
Main article: CSDIC(I)

Directorate of Enforcement[edit]
Main article: Enforcement Directorate
The Enforcement Directorate is a law enforcement agency and economic intelligence
agency responsible for enforcing economic laws and fighting economic crime in India. It is part of
the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Government Of India.[7]

Defence Intelligence Agency[edit]

The Defence Intelligence Agency (D.I.A) is an organisation responsible for providing and
coordinating military intelligence for the Indian armed forces.[1][2] It was created in March 2002 and
is administered within the Ministry of Defence.[2]
It is the nodal agency for all defence related intelligence, thus distinguishing it from the RAW.
Much of the agency's budget and operations are classified. DIA has control of Indian Army's
prized technical intelligence assets – the Directorate of Signals Intelligence and the Defence
Image Processing and Analysis Centre (DIPAC). While the Signals Directorate is responsible for
acquiring and decrypting enemy communications, the DIPAC controls India's satellite-based
image acquisition capabilities. The DIA also controls the Defence Information Warfare Agency
(DIWA) which handles all elements of the information warfare repertoire, including psychological
operations, cyber-war, electronic intercepts and the monitoring of sound waves. Its operations
are highly classified and has several success to its credit which will remain a secret.[citation needed]
Together with Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), National Technical Research
Organization (NTRO), Intelligence Bureau (IB),& Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), DIA
forms a part of India's nodal intelligence setup.

Department of Criminal Intelligence[edit]

Directorate of Air Intelligence[edit]
The Directorate of Air Intelligence is the intelligence arm of the Indian Air Force. Air
Force intelligence responsibilities include imagery intelligence collection MiG-
25R and Jaguarreconnaissance aircraft. During the 1971 war with Pakistan, Russian satellite
imagery provided India with information on Chinese force deployments. And with advances in
the Indian space program, the Indian Air Force will be acquiring independent space-based
imagery intelligence capabilities.

Directorate of Military Intelligence[edit]

Main article: Directorate of Military Intelligence (India)
Directorate of Naval Intelligence[edit]
Main article: Directorate of Naval Intelligence (India)

Directorate General of Income Tax Investigation[edit]

Main article: Directorate General of Income Tax Investigation
The Directorate General of Income Tax Investigation is the law enforcement agency under the
Ministry of Finance responsible for investigating violations of India's tax laws, including fraud,
evasion and money laundering. It is tasked to,

1. To collect intelligence and information regarding aspects of the black economy which
require close watch and investigation. Also, keeping in view the scene of economic
offences, the Bureau is required to collect information and provide periodical and special
reports to the concerned authorities;
2. To keep a watch on different aspects of economic offences and the emergence of new
types of such offences. The Bureau was made responsible for evolving counter -
measures required for effectively dealing with existing and new types of economic
offences;
3. To act as the nodal agency for cooperation and coordination at the international level with
other customs, drugs, law enforcement and other agencies in the area of economic
offences.
4. To implementation of the COFEPOSA (i.e. Conservation of Foreign Exchange &
Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act, 1971 which provides for preventive detention of
persons involved in smuggling and foreign exchange rackets under certain specified
circumstances)
5. To act as a Secretariat of the Economic Intelligence Council which acts as the apex body
to ensure full co-ordination among the various Agencies including Central Bureau of
Investigation, Reserve Bank of India, Intelligence Bureau etc.
6. Head the investigation wing of the Income Tax Department at the Regional Level;
7. Collection of intelligence pertaining to evasion of Direct Taxes;
8. Organizing search action to unearth black money- from time to time;
9. Dissemination of information and intelligence collected- by passing on the same to the
concerned authorities including assessing authorities;
10. Keep liaison and hold meetings with other organisations in the region to ensure co-
ordination and smooth flow of information;
11. Take appropriate steps to ensure that information and other persons having information
about tax evaders come forward with the same to the Department. Disbursement of
rewards would be one of the measures.

Directorate of Income Tax (Intelligence and Criminal

Investigation)[edit]
Main article: Directorate of Income Tax Intelligence and Criminal Investigation
This is the Income Tax’s intelligence arm. It is India's official FATF unit. The Directorate of
Intelligence is an allied and compact investigative set up. The DGIT (Intelligence) reports directly
to the Member (Investigation), Central Board of Direct Taxes. The office will be attached to the
office of the Board. The Directorate is required to take up intensive investigation of selected
cases / class of cases and develop them for further action / specialized operation; study and
analyze emerging trends in tax evasion, new modus operandi etc.; create an economic offence
data base; develop a profiling system etc. both in traditional and non traditional fields. The
Directorate liaise/interact with other intelligence/investigating agencies such as FIU, NCB, ED,
DRI, DGCEI, SFO, CEIB etc. The Directorate has access to all the information received by the
Department viz. AIR, TDS, BCTT, STT, CIB, AST etc. Departmental national net work,
Departmental records etc.
The DGIT and his directorate is located at Delhi. They have an all India jurisdiction and are
assigned concurrent powers with the other DG’sIT (Inv.).Criminal Investigation (CI) investigates
potential criminal violations of the Direct Tax Code and related financial crimes in a manner
intended to foster confidence in the tax system and compliance with the law. While other federal
agencies also have investigative jurisdiction for money laundering and some bank secrecy act
violations, the Income Tax Department is the only federal agency that can investigate potential
criminal violations of the Direct Tax Code. Criminal Investigation must investigate and assist in
the prosecution of those significant financial investigations that will generate the maximum
deterrent effect, enhance voluntary compliance, and promote public confidence in the tax
system.
Special agents and agents (ITO and Inspector rank) are allowed to carry firearms when they are
posted in the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) in the IT department. The Finance
Ministry has recently notified bringing under one umbrella the intelligence and criminal
investigation units of the Income Tax department to effectively deal with terror financing cases
and transactions that pose threat to national security. The department will now recruit special
agents and agents (criminal investigation) under the new wing, half of whom would be recruited
or brought on deputation from premier investigative agencies and police organisations of the
country.
The special agents who will form part of the premier DCI would be able to carry firearms under
the rules prescribed by their parent organisation and would be able to tackle any intimidation in
course of their new duty of checking and gathering intelligence on tax evasion.
The DCI is headed by the Director General of Intelligence (Income Tax) and was notified in May
this year to tackle the menace of black money with cross-border ramifications.[8] Commissioners
of the Intelligence directorate of Income Tax are posted in cities such as Delhi, Chandigarh,
Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Lucknow will also take up criminal
investigation work under the DCI.

Directorate of Revenue Intelligence[edit]

Functions with the Central Board of Excise and customs(CBEC), in the Ministry of Finance,
Department of Revenue. Headed by Director General in New Delhi, it is presently divided into
seven zones, each under the charge of an Additional Director General, and further sub-divided
into Regiont of Additional Directors, Joint Directors, Deputy Directors, Assistant Directors, Senior
Intelligence Officers and Intelligence Officers.[9] Its charter includes the following functions:

 Collection of intelligence about smuggling of contraband goods, narcotics, under-invoicing

etc. through sources of India and abroad, including secret sources.
 Analysis and dissemination of such intelligence to the field formations for action.
 Working out of intelligence by the Directorate officers themselves to a successful conclusion,
where necessary.
 Keeping watch over important seizures and investigation cases.
 Associating or taking over the investigations which warrant specialised handling by the
Directorate.
 Guiding important investigation/prosecution cases.
 Functioning as the liaison authority for exchange or information among ESCAP countries for
combating international smuggling and customs frauds in terms of the recommendation of
the ESCAP conference.
 Keeping liaison with foreign countries, Indian Missions and Enforcement agencies abroad on
anti-smuggling matters.
 To keep liaison with Central Bureau of Investigation and through them with the INTERPOL.
 To coordinate, direct and control anti-smuggling operations on the Indo-Nepal border.
 To refer cases registered under the Customs Act to the Income Tax Department for action
under the Income Tax Act.
 To keep statistics of seizures and prices/ rates etc. for watching trends of smuggling and
supply required material to the ministry of Finance and other Ministries.
 To study and suggest remedies for loopholes in law and procedures to combat smuggling.[10]

Economic Intelligence Council[edit]

Main article: Economic Intelligence Council

Indian Political Intelligence Office[edit]

Main article: Indian Political Intelligence Office

Intelligence Bureau[edit]
Main article: Intelligence Bureau (India)
The Intelligence Bureau (IB) is India's internal intelligence agency and reputedly the world's
oldest intelligence agency.[11]

Investigation Division of the Central Board of Direct

Taxes[edit]
Main article: Investigation Division of the Central Board of Direct Taxes

Joint Cipher Bureau[edit]

Main article: Joint Cipher Bureau
The Joint Cipher Bureau works closely with the IB and RAW. It is responsible for cryptanalysis
and encryption of sensitive data.[citation needed] The inter-services Joint Cipher Bureau has primary
responsibility for cryptology and SIGINT, providing coordination and direction to the other military
service organizations with similar mission. Most current equipment providing tactical intelligence
is of Russian origin, including specialized direction finding and monitoring equipment.
The Joint Cipher Bureau is also responsible for issues relating to public and private key
management. Cryptographic products are export-controlled licensed items, and licenses to India
are not generally available for products of key length of more than 56 bits.[citation needed] The domestic
Indian computer industry primarily produces PCs, and PC-compatible cryptographic products
have been developed and are being used commercially. More robust encryption systems are not
commercially produced in India, and progress in this field has been slow due to the general
unavailability of technology and know-how. Customised cryptographic products have been
designed and produced by organizations in the defense sector are engaged in the
implementation of cryptographic techniques, protocols and the products.

Narcotics Control Bureau[edit]

Main article: Narcotics Control Bureau
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is the chief law enforcement and intelligence agency
of India responsible for fighting drug trafficking and the abuse of illegal substances.[12][13]

National Investigation Agency[edit]

Main article: National Investigation Agency

National Technical Research Organisation[edit]

Main article: National Technical Research Organisation
The National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO)[14] is a technical intelligence agency
under the National Security Advisor in the Prime Minister's Office, India.[15] It was set up in
2004.[16] It also includes National Institute of Cryptology Research and Development (NICRD),
which is first of its kind in Asia.[17]

Radio Research Centre[edit]

Main article: Radio Research Centre

Regional Economic Intelligence Committee[edit]

Main article: Regional Economic Intelligence Committee

Research and Analysis Wing[edit]

Main article: Research and Analysis Wing
The Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) is the primary foreign intelligence agency of India.

Serious Fraud Investigation Office[edit]

Main article: Serious Fraud Investigation Office

Signals Intelligence Directorate[edit]

Main article: Signals Intelligence Bureau
The Signals Intelligence Directorate is a joint service organisation, manned by personnel from
the Army, Navy and Air Force. It has a large number of WEUs (Wireless Experimental Units) that
carry out the task of monitoring military links of other countries.
The Central Monitoring Organisation (CMO) is directly under the Ministry of Defence. It has
several monitoring companies, located at different locations around the country. Task is to
monitor use of radio spectrum by all users, such as Defence, Police, AIR, Railways, PSUs etc.

Thuggee and Dacoity Department[edit]

Main article: Thuggee and Dacoity Department

Wildlife Crime Control Bureau[edit]

Main article: Wildlife Crime Control Bureau