RAW's Role Before 26/11 — The Warning Nobody Acted On

 

Year: 2008

This is perhaps RAW's most painful chapter — not a failure of intelligence, but a failure of coordination.

About 2–6 months before the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, RAW had intercepted several telephone calls through signals intelligence (SIGINT) which pointed at impending attacks on Mumbai hotels by Pakistan-based terrorists. However, there was a coordination failure and no follow-up action was taken. Wikipedia

A few hours before the attacks, a RAW technician monitoring satellite transmissions picked up conversations between attackers and handlers as the attackers were sailing toward Mumbai. Wikipedia

RAW knew. But the warning fell through the cracks between agencies. 166 people died. It remains one of independent India's greatest intelligence coordination failures — and one RAW silently carries.