Indian IB among worlds top five agencies
NEW DELHI: Indias Intelligence Bureau (IB) has been ranked among the worlds top five intelligence agencies, in terms of its reach, efficiency and a high level of sophistication. The US-based Strategic Forecasting (STRATFOR) has also put it as one of the ruthless organisations exhibiting brutality.
Set up in 1885, IB holds the distinction of being the oldest intelligence agency in the world. It was recast as the Central Intelligence Bureau after independence in 1947, under the Home Affairs Ministry. Its main area is to garner intelligence from within India and also execute counter-intelligence and counter-terrorism tasks.
The STRATFOR report says that the IBs strength is in its ability to conduct electronic surveillance. It is among the worlds five best intelligence services when it comes to conducting physical surveillance, bugging hotel rooms and carrying out black bag jobs that means surreptitious entries into structures to obtain information. They include lock picking, safe cracking, key impressions, finger printing, photography, electronic surveillance (audio and video), mail manipulation (flaps and seals), forgery and a host of other related skills. According to STRATFOR, the IB should beef up its intelligence capabilities to counter Kashmiri militants who have begun to target other parts of India. iftikhar gilani
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