A New India
Chapter 156 - 156: Capturing Farooq Aziz

They have been working on Gathering Intel, hoping to catch all the 7 at the same time but unfortunately it was not that easy to do so.

K.N. Rao stood in the operations room, his eyes fixed on the large map on the wall.

The map displayed locations all across Pakistan, cities, military bases, and the movements of key individuals.

But Rao's attention wasn't on the fringe elements though important but killing them right now will only alert ISI more and not do more damage.

He was focused on seven names, seven ISI operatives that had been running Pakistan's dangerous covert operations for long time.

These weren't just bureaucrats or middlemen; these were ISI's top players, handlers, and strategists.

They were responsible for most of the movement of ISI across Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

Taking them out wouldn't be easy. For they have covered everything and move frequently without alerting anyone.

To complicate it more even some higher ups in ISI found it hard to track them most of the time

But that was exactly what Rao and Ajay Singh intended to do.

As sometimes you find a window that shatters all the complexities.

Ajay entered the room, carrying a file full of fresh intelligence reports.

His face was serious, as always, but there was a glint of determination in his eyes.

"We've got fresh intel from our sources," Ajay said, laying the file on the table in front of Rao. "It's not much, but it's a start. We've confirmed the whereabouts of three of the seven operatives. Even tracking these three was hard but here it is"

Rao nodded, his face blank as he scanned the documents. "Any patterns?"

Ajay leaned over the map, pointing to three different locations. "They move constantly, never staying in one place for more than a week. They're aware they're targets, but they've also gotten sloppy. Two of them have returned to old contacts, people we've had under surveillance for months. That's our way in."

Rao's eyes flickered with interest as he studied the movements. "Who's the closest to us?"

Ajay flipped through the pages. "Farooq Aziz, the one who's been active in Kashmir. He's in Rawalpindi, but we believe he's planning to move soon."

Rao tapped the table with his fingers. Farooq Aziz had been a thorn in India's side for years

His removal would send shockwaves through ISI. But this wasn't just about eliminating the operatives, it was about sending a message.

"Good," Rao said, his voice calm. "Let's start with Aziz. The others will fall in line once they realize what's happening."

Ajay nodded. "We have a local contact in Rawalpindi, one of our long-term assets. He's already confirmed Aziz's location, but we'll need to move fast. If Aziz slips away, we might lose him for months."

"Then we move now," Rao said, turning toward the operations team. "Start the mission prep."

Rawalpindi - On the Ground

A few nights later, the narrow streets of Rawalpindi were quiet under the cover of darkness.

The usual hustle of the city had dimmed to a low murmur as the last few street vendors packed up for the night.

But Farooq Aziz wasn't thinking about street vendors or the quiet night.

He was sitting in a private room, hidden deep inside a safe house provided by his ISI contacts.

Farooq was cautious by nature. He had to be. His work over the years of coordinating covert operations against India, had made him a high-value target.

He was always looking over his shoulder, never trusting anyone fully.

Tonight, though, he was more restless than usual.

His instincts told him something was off. His contacts had reported unusual chatter in the intelligence networks, the kind of chatter that suggested someone was tracking him.

He picked up his telephone and dialed a secure line, waiting for the voice on the other end.

"Anything new?" Farooq asked, his voice low.

"No, sir," the voice replied. "The area is clean. We've swept for bugs. No one is watching."

Farooq didn't trust that reassurance. He had been in this game too long to take anyone's word at face value.

But he didn't have time to dwell on it.

His ISI handler had requested a meeting, and he needed to prepare to move locations once again.

A few blocks away, in a modest apartment that looked like any other in the crowded city,

Rahim, one of R&AW's most trusted local contacts, sat at his desk, his eyes at the intel

He had been working undercover for India for over a long time, feeding them valuable intelligence from within Pakistan's intelligence circles.

Tonight, he was waiting for the signal that would confirm Farooq Aziz's location.

Rahim's soon recieved a coded message from one of his informants.

He read it carefully, his fingers trembling slightly as he realized what it meant. Aziz was still in the safe house, but not for long.

If R&AW was going to strike, it had to be tonight.

He immediately sent the message to Ajay, who was monitoring the situation from a safe house across the border in Amritsar.

The time had come.

Within hours, a team of R&AW operatives was mobilized, quietly slipping into Rawalpindi under the guise of civilians.

Dressed in plain clothes, they moved like shadows through the city, avoiding checkpoints and slipping past ISI's surveillance.

They had one goal, neutralize Farooq Aziz before he could escape again.

Ajay, monitoring the operation from India, communicated with his field commander through encrypted channels.

His heart pounded in his chest, but his mind was focused.

This was the culmination of months of planning, years of surveillance, and countless lives lost to ISI's covert operations.

The team moved silently through the backstreets, led by Rajesh, a veteran operative who had been in countless operations like this one.

Rajesh knew how dangerous it was to operate in Pakistan, but this wasn't his first time, and it wouldn't be his last.

"We're in position," Rajesh whispered into his radio, glancing at the dimly lit safe house just ahead. "Aziz is still inside. Surveillance confirms no major movement in the last hour."

Ajay's voice crackled through the comms. "Copy that. Move in quickly. No noise."

Rajesh gestured to his team, and they moved swiftly but silently toward the entrance.

Two operatives stayed behind to guard the perimeter, watching for any unexpected ISI activity.

The others approached the back door of the building, cutting through the rusty old lock in seconds.

Inside the Safe House

Farooq Aziz heard the faintest click behind him. He had been in enough tight situations to recognize the sound of a door being tampered with.

His instincts kicked in immediately, and he reached for the gun on the table in front of him, knocking over a cup of tea in the process.

But by the time he turned around, it was too late.

Rajesh and his team were already inside, their weapons drawn.

Farooq barely had time to raise his pistol before Rajesh tackled him to the ground, slamming his arm against the cold concrete floor.

The gun flew out of Farooq's hand, skidding across the room.

"Stay down," Rajesh growled, pressing his knee into Farooq's chest, pinning him.

Farooq struggled, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he tried to free himself.

But Rajesh's grip was ironclad, and within seconds.

Farooq realized there was no escaping this.

One of the other operatives secured Farooq's hands behind his back, while another searched the room, making sure no one else was there.

The safe house was empty, just as they had expected.

Farooq had been operating alone for the last few months, trying to stay under the radar.

But now, his luck had run out.

Within minutes, the team had Farooq gagged and blindfolded, his hands and feet bound securely.

They moved swiftly, exiting the building as silently as they had entered.

The city remained quiet, oblivious to the operation that had just taken place under its nose.

As they made their way through the narrow alleys, Ajay's voice came through the comms once again. "Status?"

"Target secured," Rajesh replied, keeping his voice low. "We're heading to the extraction point."

Ajay exhaled, feeling the tension ease just slightly.

The first of their seven targets had been taken down.

But this was just the beginning.

Hours later, back in New Delhi, Rao stood with Ajay in the operations room, watching as the team made their final approach to the extraction point.

It had been a clean operation, one without any casualties or complications.

"They'll realize soon enough that Aziz is missing," Ajay said, still monitoring the situation.

"Let them," Rao replied, his voice cold. "By the time ISI figures out what's happened, we'll be two steps ahead."

Ajay nodded. "One down, six to go."

Rao's gaze remained fixed on the map. The operation was far from over, but tonight had proven that R&AW had the upper hand

And as long as they kept moving, ISI wouldn't know what hit them.