Panipat security guard held for alleged espionage
The accused, Nauman Ilahi, hails from Kairana in Shamli district of Uttar Pradesh and was employed as a guard at an industrial unit in Panipat.
The Panipat police on Wednesday arrested a 24-year-old security guard on suspicion of sharing sensitive information with Pakistani contacts. This marks the fourth such incident in the past few weeks in connection with alleged espionage activities.
The accused, Nauman Ilahi, hails from Kairana in Shamli district of Uttar Pradesh and was employed as a guard at an industrial unit in Panipat. According to Karnal superintendent of police Ganga Ram Punia, who also holds additional charge of Panipat, Ilahi was taken into custody on Tuesday based on credible intelligence inputs. During interrogation, authorities claim, Ilahi admitted to having connections with individuals in Pakistan and leaking critical information.
“An FIR has been registered at the Industrial Area police station based on evidence gathered so far. His mobile phone has been seized for further investigation, which remains at a preliminary stage,” said SP Punia, adding that more individuals are being questioned and inputs are being verified with other agencies.
The arrest comes amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
Just over a week ago, on May 3, the Amritsar rural police arrested two men — Palak Sher Masih and Suraj Masih — for allegedly photographing and sharing sensitive details of Army cantonments and airbases. Investigators believe the duo had direct links to Pakistani intelligence operatives.
In a separate case, Malerkotla police arrested two individuals — including a 31-year-old woman, Guzala, and her associate Yameen Mohamad — on May 11 for allegedly aiding a Pakistani official posted at the High Commission in Delhi. Police say the two were part of a broader espionage network operating in the region.
The latest arrest before Ilahi’s came from Bathinda, where on May 13, a tailor working inside the military station was taken into custody on suspicion of spying. Authorities revealed that he was the second civilian linked to espionage from that location — the first being Sunil Kumar, a cobbler arrested on April 29.
