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Two arrested for spying for Pakistan’s ISI in Gurdaspur
Punjab DGP says Sukhpreet Singh and Karanbir Singh were engaged in sharing classified details related to Operation Sindoor, including troop movement and key strategic locations in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, with Pakistan’s intelligence agency.
In a significant counter-espionage operation, Gurdaspur police have thwarted an attempt to compromise national security by apprehending two persons involved in leaking sensitive military information, Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said on Monday.
With this, the total arrests in espionage cases in the region of Punjab and Haryana has risen to 13 (8 in Punjab and 5 in Haryana) with Nuh police, in a joint operation with a central agency, on Monday arrested a local quack identified as Mohammad Tarif, a resident of the Kangarka village in the Nuh district for allegedly leaking intelligence information of military activities to Pakistan.
Those arrested in Gurdaspur have been identified as Sukhpreet Singh, a resident of Adiyan village in Gurdaspur and Karanbir Singh, a resident of Chandu Wadala village in Gurdaspur. Police teams have also recovered three mobile phones and eight cartridges of .30-bore from their possession.
“On May 15, credible intelligence inputs indicated that Sukhpreet Singh and Karanbir Singh were engaged in sharing classified details related to Operation Sindoor, including troop movement and key strategic locations in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, with Pakistan’s intelligence agency, ISI. Acting swiftly, the police have put both the suspects under surveillance and apprehended them,” DGP Yadav said.
“Forensic examination of their mobile phones confirmed the intelligence inputs. A preliminary investigation revealed that the arrested accused persons were passing on military secrets in exchange for monetary benefits. The police team has also recovered three mobile phones and eight live cartridges (.30 bore) from their possession,” he said.
The DGP said preliminary findings established that the accused were in direct contact with Pakistan Inter-Services Intelligence handlers and had transmitted critical information concerning the Indian armed forces.
“During the investigation, it was also discovered that they were previously involved in drug smuggling activities, through which they came into contact with ISI handlers. Their financial transactions, including online and cash dealings, also came under scrutiny,” said the SSP, while adding that further investigations are on.
A case has been registered under Section 3 of the Official Secrets Act, Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 25 of the Arms Act at Police Station, Dorangala.
On May 8, Malerkotla residents Guzala and Yameen Mohammad were arrested for their involvement in espionage activities linked to Ehsan-ur-Rahim, alias Danish, a staffer at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. Danish has been declared ‘persona non grata’ by India.
DGP Yadav said the two had been receiving payments through online transactions in exchange for sharing sensitive information regarding Indian Army movements. Both have been booked under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Official Secret Act at Police Station City-1, Malerkotla.
So far, eight people have been arrested in Punjab on espionage charges, while in neighbouring Haryana five people, including a travel blogger Jyoti Malhotra from Hisar, have been arrested.
