The growing network of Pak 'spies' in India: Suspect held in IB operation for cross-border intel sharing

With the arrest of a man in Rajasthan, at least 18 people have been arrested across northern and western India on espionage charges.

In the latest instance, the Rajasthan Police has arrested a man from Deeg, Qasim, in an operation with Intelligence Bureau (IB). The police have accused him of being in touch with people in Pakistan and spying on their behalf.

Even though YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra’s case has made the most headlines, arrests have been made in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, and Gujarat. These arrests have been made in the wake of the Pahalgam attack and the subsequent Operation Sindoor by India.

In a joint operation, the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of Rajasthan Police arrested a man, Qasim, in Deeg district in an operation with the Intelligence Bureau, according to India Today.

The police have said that the man, identified only as Qasim, was in touch with people in Pakistan over the phone during Operation Sindoor and was spying for them.

From Punjab to Gujarat, 18 ‘spies’ arrested for spying for Pakistan

So far, at least six people have been arrested in Punjab, five in Haryana, two in Delhi, two in Rajasthan, and one each in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand.

Punjab

The case of Guzala has made most headlines among those arrested in Punjab.

Guzala and Jyoti were in touch with Ehsan-Ur-Rahim alias Danish posted at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, according to officials.

India expelled Danish from the country on May 13 for indulging in espionage under diplomatic cover.

Beside Guzala, Yameen Mohamad was also arrested from Malerkotla in Punjab.

The PTI has reported that the police investigation has found that Guzala confessed in the questioning to sharing confidential information about Army’s activities with Danish in exchange for money. The police further said that Danish sent her Rs 30,000 for the information.

The Punjab Police has arrested four more persons for espionage: Falaksher Masih, Suraj Masih, Sukhpreet Singh, and Karanbir Singh.

The police said that Falaksher and Surah of Amritsar were arrested for leaking sensitive information and photographs of army cantonment areas, airbases, and troop movement in the border district to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), according to PTI.

The police said that Sukhpreet and Karanbir were arrested for sharing sensitive military information, such as troop movement and details of strategic locations in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir, with ISI.

The police further said that the investigation found that they were also involved in drug smuggling and that was how they came into contact with ISI.

Haryana

Jyoti, a YouTuber who makes travel-related content, has been arrested from Hisar on charges of espionage.

Jyoti’s visits to Pakistan, Bangladesh, and China, and her alleged ties to Danish and Chinese officials are under the scanner.

The police have said that Pakistani intelligence operatives were developing Jyoti as an asset.

Other than Jyoti, Devender Singh from Kaithal, Nauman Ilahi from the Panipat, and Armaan and Mohammad Tarif from Nuh have also been arrested on national security grounds.

The police have said that Armaan shared information related to the Indian Army and other military activities with Pakistan through an employee at the High Commission in Delhi. Arif and Ilahi have also been accused of sharing sensitive information.

Delhi & Jharkhand

Two men have been arrested in Delhi on espionage charges: Mohammad Harun and Nepali-origin Ansarul Mian.

Mian was arrested by Delhi Police’s Special Cell in a monthslong operation with central agencies, according to India Today.

Officials said that Mian is an ISI agent who was working to carry out terrorist strikes in India.

Based on information gathered from Mian, a man, Akhlaq Azam, was arrested from Ranchi. He has been accused of sharing sensitive information with ISI.

Rajasthan

In addition to Qasim mentioned above, Jiya Ram Meghwal was arrested in Balotara district for sharing a video of troop movement on social media.

Gujarat

Sahdevsinh Gohil was arrested in Kutch by the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS).

The ATS has said that Gohil shared information of under-construction Border Security Force (BSF) and Indian Navy in the Navy. It said that he had neen sharing such information to his Pakistani handlers since June 2023.