12 Held in Expanding Cross-Border Spy Network Bust

Spy Web Cracks Widen: Police Brief on North India’s Espionage Sweep

 

 

A coordinated police operation spanning Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh has led to the arrest of 12 individuals suspected of transmitting sensitive military intelligence to Pakistan. This surge in espionage cases comes in the wake of India’s intensified counter-terror operations under Operation Sindoor, targeting camps across the border.

Authorities confirmed that the most recent detentions occurred in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district and Haryana’s Nuh. On Monday, Sukhpreet Singh of Adiyan village and Karanbir Singh of Chandu Wadala village were taken into custody by Punjab Police. Haryana Police, acting on separate intelligence, apprehended Mohammed Tarif from Kangarka village late Sunday.

Police officials stated that the accused had allegedly been leaking critical details concerning troop deployments, defence infrastructure, and high-security areas across Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir. Investigators believe the information was being relayed to handlers affiliated with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Forensic teams have begun combing through mobile devices, digital storage, and financial records seized during the raids. Investigators suspect encrypted communication channels and digital wallets were used to facilitate the transmission of information and to route payments.

Police sources revealed that the suspects had established links with an ISI operative identified as Ehsan-ur-Rahim, also known by the alias ‘Danish’, previously stationed at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. The individual was expelled by Indian authorities on 13 May after being declared persona non grata for engaging in activities beyond diplomatic norms. In response, Pakistan expelled an Indian diplomat the same day.

Among those held is Jyoti Malhotra, a social media influencer from Hisar, Haryana, who is believed to have been in direct contact with Danish. Malhotra’s arrest has widened the scope of the investigation into the role of civilians, particularly those with online reach, in foreign espionage.

This month alone, three cases of espionage have surfaced in Punjab. Earlier, two men from Ajnala, Falaksher Masih and Suraj Masih, were arrested by Amritsar Rural Police for allegedly photographing military installations and forwarding them to Pakistan-based handlers. Their alleged activities included gathering information on troop movements, BSF camps, airbases, and airport locations.

In another case, two more individuals — including a woman — were arrested on 11 May from Malerkotla district. Both were reportedly linked to the same espionage network connected to the Pakistani mission in Delhi.

In total, six arrests have been made in Punjab and four in Haryana. The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force detained another suspect on Sunday from Rampur, believed to be an ISI agent embedded in the region.

With cross-state coordination intensifying and digital forensics underway, police believe further arrests may follow in what is rapidly unravelling as a sprawling espionage network targeting India’s northern military belt.