After two arrested for selling secrets, more people under scanner to plug leaks: UP ATS
The official said two staffers of ordnance factories in Kanpur and Firozabad had shared confidential information with ISI after falling prey to Facebook profiles created to honeytrap them.
After the arrest of two employees of two ordnance factories in Uttar Pradesh for sharing confidential information with Pakistan’s ISI over the past ten days, more people were now under the watch of security agencies, said senior UP Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) officials.
They said the agencies were scanning the social media profiles of staffers of facilities that manufacture arms and ammunitions, oil refineries and defence installations to ensure that they were not honey-trapped by ISI personnel masquerading as women looking for friendship on Facebook or other social media platforms.
“Social media profiles of nine more staffers, who have suspicious profiles in their friend’s list, are under the scanner. They are being scrutinised to plug any leak of confidential information to the enemy country,” said a senior intelligence official privy to the development.
The official said two staffers of ordnance factories in Kanpur and Firozabad had shared confidential information with ISI after falling prey to Facebook profiles created to honeytrap them.
Vikas Kumar, 38, who worked as a junior manager at the Kanpur factory, and Ravindra Kumar, 45, of Firozabad were arrested by ATS on March 13 and 19, respectively. Both were targeted by the same fake Facebook profile under the name of Neha Sharma. They ‘leaked’ information to their ISI handlers in return for some easy money offered to them.
“The so-called Neha Sharma began interacting with them through Facebook. Later, they spoke over WhatsApp as well. After luring them into her trap and through blackmail, she made them share crucial information in return for easy money,” the official added.
Another intelligence official stated security agencies often issued such alerts for police and Indian Army, paramilitary forces and scientists to remain beware of such fake social media profiles with pictures of attractive women that could be designed by ISI to honey-trap them. He said similar alert was against 14 such profiles in June 2023.
He said Pakistan Intelligence Operative (PIO), a wing of Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI (Inter-Service Intelligence), had been using this trick since the past four-five years to target officers and personnel of central and state security agencies involved in India.
The official said the officers and personnel were also suggested to asks their friends and family to remove such suspicious profiles from their friend’s lists. He said these fake profiles were created using Hindu women names to target officials and personnel of state police, Indian Army, paramilitary forces and scientists.
He explained after establishing communication spywares were secretly installed in the phones and laptops of the targets to steal their personal data that were often used to blackmail them.
