Neutralizing Industrial Espionage in Pune’s Automotive Hub

In early 2026, a Tier-1 automotive manufacturer specializing in EVs suspected its proprietary battery management system designs were being compromised during a critical prototype phase.

The suspected leak centered on the design studio and the managing director’s strategy cabin.

In a modern Industry 4.0 facility, massive IoT, robotics, and Wi-Fi noise make bug detection more difficult, allowing illicit hardware to hide within legitimate electromagnetic activity.

• Audio transmitter detection to protect design discussions.
• Hidden camera detection to prevent visual theft of 3D models and prototypes.
• Threats for corporate assets including server rooms and design archives.

Wahid Shaikh orchestrated a sweep during a scheduled maintenance shutdown to preserve secrecy. The team established a baseline of the factory’s RF environment and scanned suspect items with thermal imaging and NLJD tools.

• High-speed spectrum analysis to isolate unknown RF signals.
• FLIR thermal imaging to identify heat signatures inside wall clocks, smoke detectors, and power strips.
• NLJD sweeps across the design studio to locate semiconductor junctions inside non-electronic objects.

The team discovered two separate devices: a voice-activated audio recorder inside a commemorative trophy in the MD’s cabin, and a 4K Wi-Fi hidden camera disguised within a desk lamp in the design studio.

Both devices were powered by internal wiring, giving them indefinite operational life.

• Forensic tracing of the modified lamp to a former employee who had joined a rival firm.
• RF shielding of the design studio to create a localized Faraday cage effect.
• Monthly counter-surveillance sweeps for executive cabins and R&D zones.

The manufacturer plugged the leak, identified the likely perpetrator, and secured an EV patent filing valued at over Rs. 500 crores.