Young techies, MBAs, doctors join Intelligence Bureau to become 'spies'

NEW DELHI: Almost seven years after the deadly 26/11 Mumbai attacks, termed as the biggest intelligence failure of the country in recent times, India's prime internal security agency - Intelligence Bureau - is finally regaining some of its allure.

Information gathered by TOI from reliable sources in the government reveals that young boys and girls, from highly educated backgrounds - MBAs, advocates, IT specialists having qualifications like BE, BTech and MTech, accountants, science graduates and PGs, doctors and even pharma engineers - are joining IB to become "spies".

Some of them even bid adieu to their better paying careers as they claimed being an IB officer was more exciting and challenging. "A young boy even left his job where he was earning Rs 1.5 lakh per month to become an intelligence officer," said a top official.

These youngsters, in the age-group of 18 to 27 years, from across states including Nagaland, Manipur, Telangana, Maharashtra, Delhi, Karnataka, J&K and others are more forthcoming towards the tough job and have shown great interest in gathering intelligence for national security.

Not just that, a large number of young boys and girls from minorities have signed up lately for the IB.

The new-age spies - boys and a large number of girls as well - are joining the IB as assistant central intelligence officers (ACIOs) Grade-II, a rank equivalent to a sub-inspector in police.




IPS officers make policies for securing the country from any threat emanating from terrorist organizations from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and other countries but ACIOs are the "foot soldiers" who work on the ground, in disguises and in hazardous and conflict zones. They collect secret information daily on possible terror threats, riots and internal strife in a community, or that posed by a union or a group/organization or individual that can be dangerous for the safety of the country.

Explaining that intelligence gathering is one of the toughest jobs, especially in "hard zones" (disturbed/conflict areas), an officer said, "Being a field intelligence officer, ACIO, requires a lot of motivation and skills. At a time when militants are upgrading and new threats are emanating from the cyber world, the IB using age-old methods and people was not working."

The ACIOs, who are posted in Subsidiary Intelligence Bureaus for two to five years and sometimes even longer, are trained initially for two years in the "tradecraft" of the IB - on how to penetrate a community, how to raise sources and contacts, how to use secret methods of surveillance, using foot surveillance, how to maintain a disguise, how to track a suspect without being caught, how to do counter intelligence and even defuse tensions before they escalate in a particular area. These youngsters also keep a watch on markets, stock prices, commodity prices and even the business community.

"These are the boys and girls who are go-getters for the IB," said an official. "All they need is a telephone, a tele-printer and a computer and they send their daily reports to their local SIBs and headquarters. They are the eyes and ears of the government," said the officer.