Pakistan's ISI now targeting children? Punjab police arrest Pathankot teen for spying

A minor was arrested in Punjab’s Pathankot on charges of spying for Pakistan after officials said that the 15-year-old boy was found to be in contact with handlers of Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the  Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

The Pathankot police have said that the boy shared sensitive information related to India with the ISI for at least a year. Officials say that they are currently investigating the communication lines used by the minor spy.

Authorities have said that the arrest of the 15-year-old boy raises concerns over the recruitment of children as spies, which in turn poses a security risk. They said other minors in Punjab are also suspected of having links to ISI operatives. As a precaution, police stations across the state have been put on alert and instructed to stay vigilant and closely monitor any similar activity.

Who was the 15-year-old?

According to a report by the Times of India, the police have identified the minor as Sanjeev Kumar. Officials say that the boy was tricked by Pakistani handlers on social media after they made him believe that his father had been murdered, making him vulnerable.

“The police have arrested Sanjeev Kumar, aged 15, after receiving information that he had been supplying information related to the security of our nation to the frontal organisations of terror agencies, ISI, and Pakistan military officers,” SSP Pathankot Daljinder Singh Dhillon said.

“He fell into the trap of Pakistani agencies through social media, as he was suspicious that his father had been murdered, which affected him mentally. However, the investigation did not reveal any such evidence,” he added.

Police say that Kumar had sent videos about several sensitive locations to the handlers who run terror modules in Pakistan.

Police are examining the extent of the information he may have shared and identifying those he was in contact with. The boy remains in custody, and further action will be determined as the investigation progresses.