MEA people. I am sure they can do it. Have a visa and a new passport ready for him in Bangkok. That way his Pakistani passport will show only an entry and exit from Bangkok…. I don’t know, find a bloody way!”
Next, Sanjay called up the liaison officer with the IB to find out who their in-house expert on banking software and processes was. While RAW had a technical division, it was IB which had developed a strong online expertise and had connections in the private sector from where they got best online talents worked. A quick call confirmed that he was available for emergency consultation today itself.
Captain Nirmal Sharma (Retd) turned out to be a clean-shaven affable young man in his late thirties. The only thing out of place was a toothbrush moustache − something not common in his peer group, thought Sanjay. After serving a Short Service Commission in the Army Corps of Signals, he had done his MBA in Finance and after a few years with a major multinational bank, was running his own consultancy. He exuded confidence of someone who knew his field and his ‘Friday dressing’ turnout reflected his success in his chosen field. His area of specialisation was network security. Having helped the IB and RAW in fraud and terrorism-related cases, he now enjoyed a reputation with the Intelligence Services across the board.
Sanjay explained the situation to him.
“It’s pretty straight; we want to pull out camera-feed database of a particular ATM from about a month back.”
“That’s simple, you go to the bank with a warrant and they will give you the video or access.”
“That’s not an option here. It’s in a foreign country … hostile actually,” drawled Sanjay.
“Look, sir, you need to tell me the background. I can’t help you if you don’t give me the context.”
So out it came, keeping specifics out of the story. Nirmal asked to be given an hour alone with his laptop, and if possible, a high-speed Internet connection. It took a bit longer but by dinner-time, Nirmal had a briefing to give.
“See, the banks usually outsource this sort of security work. In Pakistan they need to maintain a 60-days’ log of ATM videos. The cameras usually have two storage options: one they store in a hard disk on site, second option is to store it offline on a server. This is the option the Bank of Punjab follows. They have outsourced their systems to an American company−Electronic Data Bank Inc (EDBI). EDBI has its headquarters in California but maintains an office in Karachi. They also have a server bank there. What we need is to somehow get access to the server and download the data date-wise. One more thing … the data is synchronised with the ATM entries, so if you get the photograph, you can also get the transaction details including the name of the account holder.”
“How does the bank access the data?” asked Sanjay.
“Well, they will either demand the data within parameters like date, time and ATM code or they will have login access. My experience tells me that they have a login access system.”
“How strong is the security of the system? … I mean can we break into it?” For the first time in the evening, Nirmal smiled.
“Any system can be hacked.”
“Then why don’t you suggest a person who can conjure up what we require over a peg of rum and dinner at the office canteen?”
“Why not! I don’t think either of us is going to sleep tonight.”
As they dug into mutton curry and roti, Nirmal said, “You have some pretty capable guys in RAW and they can crack this, but they may require time. The one guy I know who has the ability to do it in a short time is Vinay Garg. He works with a special division of TC Securities. I recommend you get him.”
“How do you know he will be available?”
“Oh! He has no social life and lives in Mayur Vihar in his parents’ house on the upper floor. I have known him since school. If you want, I will give him a call and check if he is home.”
Nirmal
Next, Sanjay called up the liaison officer with the IB to find out who their in-house expert on banking software and processes was. While RAW had a technical division, it was IB which had developed a strong online expertise and had connections in the private sector from where they got best online talents worked. A quick call confirmed that he was available for emergency consultation today itself.
Captain Nirmal Sharma (Retd) turned out to be a clean-shaven affable young man in his late thirties. The only thing out of place was a toothbrush moustache − something not common in his peer group, thought Sanjay. After serving a Short Service Commission in the Army Corps of Signals, he had done his MBA in Finance and after a few years with a major multinational bank, was running his own consultancy. He exuded confidence of someone who knew his field and his ‘Friday dressing’ turnout reflected his success in his chosen field. His area of specialisation was network security. Having helped the IB and RAW in fraud and terrorism-related cases, he now enjoyed a reputation with the Intelligence Services across the board.
Sanjay explained the situation to him.
“It’s pretty straight; we want to pull out camera-feed database of a particular ATM from about a month back.”
“That’s simple, you go to the bank with a warrant and they will give you the video or access.”
“That’s not an option here. It’s in a foreign country … hostile actually,” drawled Sanjay.
“Look, sir, you need to tell me the background. I can’t help you if you don’t give me the context.”
So out it came, keeping specifics out of the story. Nirmal asked to be given an hour alone with his laptop, and if possible, a high-speed Internet connection. It took a bit longer but by dinner-time, Nirmal had a briefing to give.
“See, the banks usually outsource this sort of security work. In Pakistan they need to maintain a 60-days’ log of ATM videos. The cameras usually have two storage options: one they store in a hard disk on site, second option is to store it offline on a server. This is the option the Bank of Punjab follows. They have outsourced their systems to an American company−Electronic Data Bank Inc (EDBI). EDBI has its headquarters in California but maintains an office in Karachi. They also have a server bank there. What we need is to somehow get access to the server and download the data date-wise. One more thing … the data is synchronised with the ATM entries, so if you get the photograph, you can also get the transaction details including the name of the account holder.”
“How does the bank access the data?” asked Sanjay.
“Well, they will either demand the data within parameters like date, time and ATM code or they will have login access. My experience tells me that they have a login access system.”
“How strong is the security of the system? … I mean can we break into it?” For the first time in the evening, Nirmal smiled.
“Any system can be hacked.”
“Then why don’t you suggest a person who can conjure up what we require over a peg of rum and dinner at the office canteen?”
“Why not! I don’t think either of us is going to sleep tonight.”
As they dug into mutton curry and roti, Nirmal said, “You have some pretty capable guys in RAW and they can crack this, but they may require time. The one guy I know who has the ability to do it in a short time is Vinay Garg. He works with a special division of TC Securities. I recommend you get him.”
“How do you know he will be available?”
“Oh! He has no social life and lives in Mayur Vihar in his parents’ house on the upper floor. I have known him since school. If you want, I will give him a call and check if he is home.”
Nirmal
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