Nearly a month after an unauthorised solar-powered CCTV camera was found near Bathinda’s high-security military zone, the police have arrested the alleged mastermind of the operation.

Simranjeet Singh, alias Nimbu (22), a crane driver from Sarai village in Amritsar district, was arrested near Batala in Gurdaspur on Tuesday. He is the third person held in the case, following the arrest of his associates Ashok Singh (40), a cook, and Akashdeep Singh (22), who is unemployed, both from the same village.

Bathinda SP (City) Narinder Singh said Simranjeet was the main suspect. “He had earlier worked in Dubai as a driver and may have come into contact with a foreign-based anti-national element. He is already facing a case under the NDPS Act. Along with his associates, he travelled to Bathinda by bus to install the camera at a location shared by a person abroad,” the SP said.

Ashok provided logistical support, technical data and the SIM card, while Akashdeep assisted Simranjeet in installing the device. Sources said Simranjeet was paid Rs 13,000 for the job. A local court sent him to two-day police custody. The solar-powered camera, fitted with a SIM card, was discovered mounted on an electricity pole near on the Bathinda-Sriganganagar road. The police said it had been operational for nearly three months, transmitting footage to handlers in Pakistan and Canada.

The site lies a few kilometres from the Bathinda Military Station. The Air Force Station and Bathinda Airport are also nearby.