A new digital influence operation allegedly being run by Pakistan’s military intelligence apparatus has sought to exploit unemployed and young Indian media aspirants to manufacture and circulate anti-government and anti-India narratives online, according to a CNN-News18 investigation.
The operation, described in the investigation as “The Ground Wire” (TGW), allegedly uses a fraudulent news platform called Bharat Bytes News (BBN) as a vehicle for publishing and distributing the content. The platform reportedly operates through its website, bbnewsofficial.in, as well as accounts on X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
According to the investigation, the alleged strategy marks a shift from conventional infiltration towards digital and narrative warfare,
with young Indians being used as local faces for content whose themes and scripts are allegedly controlled by Pakistan-based handlers.
How The Recruitment Worked
The investigation found that unemployed journalism graduates and young Indians with experience in vlogging were among those targeted. Recruitment reportedly began with Instagram advertisements offering journalism and career opportunities.
Those who showed interest were subsequently contacted through WhatsApp using Indian mobile numbers. According to the investigation, some of these numbers were allegedly acquired using fake credentials. Recruitment also took place through existing peer networks, allowing the operation to expand through referrals.
The recruits, many of whom were in the 22-26 age group, were allegedly offered monthly payments of around Rs 30,000-Rs 40,000 in return for producing and distributing content.
The assignments were not limited to routine reporting. Young contributors were allegedly instructed to conduct public-opinion interviews on politically and communally sensitive subjects, including allegations of corruption, press freedom, poverty, mosque demolitions and protests.
The investigation also found assignments linked to sensitive security and political issues, including the Pahalgam terror attack, Operation Sindoor, alleged Rafale crashes and the Ayodhya donation controversy.
According to the investigation, contributors were sometimes asked to submit raw footage through WhatsApp. The material was then allegedly edited by Pakistan-based handlers before being published through BBN platforms, with narratives crafted to project the content as genuine Indian public opinion.
The Pakistan Link
At the centre of the operation, according to the investigation, is a recruiter identified as Abdullah Shad, who allegedly operates under aliases including “Naveen Dubey” and “Harsh.” He is reportedly controlled by a Pakistan Army officer identified as Lt Col Zia, described as GSO-1.
The investigation found that Shad allegedly presented himself at different times as being based in places including Noida, Australia or the United States.
The operation’s alleged financial trail was similarly fragmented. Payments were reportedly routed through cryptocurrency, multiple bank accounts and different UPI handles, with intermediaries allegedly converting and distributing the money to Indian contributors.
The investigation found that two Uttar Pradesh-based contributors received approximately Rs 4.5 lakh collectively, allegedly for reporting work and managing junior teams.
The alleged model therefore relied on multiple layers – Pakistan-based handlers, Indian recruiters, local contributors and financial intermediaries – to make the operation harder to trace.
The investigation’s findings point to an attempt to turn India’s own pool of unemployed young media aspirants into distribution points for externally scripted narratives. Rather than openly presenting foreign propaganda, the alleged strategy sought to give such messaging an Indian voice and local appearance.
The operation, if established through further investigation, illustrates how social-media recruitment, low-cost content production, encrypted communication and fragmented payments can be combined to create a proxy information network targeting social and political fault lines.
