The RAW Officer Who Betrayed India

He wasn’t a double agent planted by Pakistan.
He wasn’t a foreign national pretending to be one of us.
He was one of our own—a decorated Indian Army officer, handpicked and trusted by India’s most secretive intelligence agency, RAW (Research and Analysis Wing).

And yet, he sold us out.

This is the chilling true story of Rabinder Singh—the RAW officer who became a traitor, leaking sensitive national secrets to the CIA.

A Soldier Turned Spy

Rabinder Singh began his career with pride. A former Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Army’s Military Intelligence, he was inducted into RAW in the late 1980s—part of a group of military officers who were transferred into India's external spy agency to boost operational expertise.

Over the years, Singh rose through the ranks, serving in key international missions. He was stationed in Kathmandu, a location RAW often used as a forward operating post for its intelligence work against Pakistan and China. By the 2000s, he had access to highly classified documents, mission strategies, and field agent networks.

What no one knew then: he had already been compromised.

A Slow Drift into Betrayal

Indian counterintelligence first became suspicious when internal audits and surveillance began picking up signs of unexplained activity.

Singh was using his office computer to transfer files onto external devices—an unusual and unauthorized practice for someone in his position. He also began making unexplained visits to internet cafés and exhibited erratic behaviour, often showing up at unusual hours and logging strange travel patterns.

RAW's Counterintelligence Wing put him under quiet surveillance. The suspicion: he might be leaking secrets—but to whom?

By early 2004, the pieces began to fit.

The CIA Connection

Indian intelligence concluded that Rabinder Singh was in contact with the CIA. It is believed that he was cultivated by American handlers during his foreign postings, likely during his Kathmandu stint, where the CIA had a strong presence.

Singh had reportedly handed over sensitive information about Indian intelligence operations and possibly agent identities. He didn’t just leak information—he compromised RAW’s operational backbone.

Despite the evidence mounting, the agency was under pressure to avoid an international scandal. Singh was kept under watch, but not arrested. That proved to be a fatal miscalculation.

The Great Escape

On May 7, 2004, just days before RAW was to make a formal move against him, Rabinder Singh vanished.

Using a fake passport in the name of “Rajat Sharma,” Singh fled India with his wife, sneaking out through Nepal. From there, he was tracked flying to the United States, where he sought asylum—allegedly with help from his CIA contacts.

Despite diplomatic efforts, the U.S. refused to extradite him.

India’s intelligence community was humiliated. The country had just witnessed its biggest known mole case since the days of the Cold War—and he had gotten away.

Where Is He Now?

Rumours suggest that Rabinder Singh lived under CIA protection in the United States for several years. Some reports claim he died in a car crash in Maryland in 2016, but his death was never confirmed publicly.

The Indian government never received official closure.

A Lesson in Loyalty—and Caution

The story of Rabinder Singh isn’t just one of betrayal. It’s a reminder of how espionage is not always foreign—it can wear your uniform, speak your language, sit at your table.

India tightened internal vetting and surveillance protocols after the incident, but the wound lingers. In intelligence circles, Singh’s name still evokes anger and disbelief.

He knew our secrets.
He wore our trust.
And he chose to sell both to a foreign power.

Never forget. Never again.