Delhi couple held for aiding Pak-based operatives

The Delhi Police on Friday said it had arrested a Delhi-based couple in their early 20s for allegedly working for two years for what it described as a “Pakistani intelligence operatives-led espionage module” backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)

The Delhi Police on Friday said it had arrested a Delhi-based couple in their early 20s for allegedly working for two years for what it described as a “Pakistani intelligence operatives-led espionage module” backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

The Special Cell said it had recovered two mobile phones allegedly used by the couple (Photo for representation)

The Special Cell said it had recovered two mobile phones allegedly used by the couple, which contained chats that police described as incriminating and involving their handlers in the Pakistani intelligence network.

Police identified the accused as Mohammad Sahil, 25, and his wife Sameera, 21. According to investigators, the couple allegedly procured Indian SIM cards and sent them to Pakistan through Dubai. The SIM cards were allegedly used by Pakistani intelligence operatives to activate WhatsApp accounts from Pakistan and join Indian WhatsApp groups to gather sensitive information related to Indian defence.

Deputy commissioner of police (special cell) Narra Chaitanya said the couple was also allegedly tasked with recruiting people in India to conduct reconnaissance of cantonment areas and share details of Indian Army personnel facing court martial proceedings.

“The team identified members of the module leading to the arrest of Mohammad Sahil from Sarai Kale Khan. Forensic analysis of his mobile phone helped us find his incriminating chats with Pakistani agents,” said Chaitanya.

According to police, interrogation of Sahil revealed that he came in contact with a Pakistani agent on Instagram in 2024 through Sameera, whom he later married. The Pakistani agent then introduced the couple to an operative of Pakistan’s intelligence network, police said.

“Gradually, the operative cultivated Sahil and Sameera and convinced them to work for the network against which they were assured financial gains. Sahil and Sameera were asked to extend logistic support to the network in Delhi and recruit more individuals for espionage and field operations,” Chaitanya said.

Police alleged that the couple sent eight Indian SIM cards to Pakistan through Dubai in 2024 and 2025 and received ₹30,000 from their handlers in return.

According to a senior Special Cell officer, WhatsApp accounts were activated on the numbers in Pakistan and allegedly used by intelligence operatives to join Indian WhatsApp groups and gather information.

The accounts were also allegedly used to approach Indians for sensitive information, the officer said, adding that Sahil had been allegedly instructed to recruit people to conduct reconnaissance of cantonment areas across India and provide details of Army personnel whose court martial proceedings were pending.

Chaitanya said interrogation of the couple had provided police with information about the alleged network’s structure, its Pakistan-based handlers and the methods used to coordinate with over-ground workers and sleeper cells through encrypted communication platforms. “By carrying out the operation, the Delhi Police successfully foiled espionage activities being carried out by Pakistani intelligence operatives,” he said.

Police said Sahil graduated from Indira Gandhi National Open University and subsequently worked with a lawyer while planning to pursue an LLB. He left the job in June 2022 and had been unemployed since then, police said. His father moved to Delhi from Uttar Pradesh’s Badaun in 1982 and works as a car mechanic in Sarai Kale Khan, according to police.

Sameera, who completed her BA, had worked at a call centre before her arrest, police said. Her family had moved to Delhi from UP’s Bijnor in 1996 and settled in Shakurpur, police said.