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UP anti-terror squad arrests Moscow embassy staffer for allegedly spying for ISI
The accused has been posted as an India- based security assistant at the Indian Embassy in Moscow, Russia since 2021
The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) has arrested a man from the state working at the Indian Embassy in Moscow for allegedly spying for Pakistan’s Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI), senior police officials said on Sunday.
The accused worked as a multi-tasking staffer at the Ministry of External Affairs and has been currently posted as an India- based security assistant (IBSA) at the Indian Embassy in Moscow, Russia since 2021, officials said in a press note shared with the media. He was sharing crucial information with his ISI handlers, they said.
The arrest was made in Meerut when the accused was on a visit to his home state, they added.
The accused was identified as Satyendra Siwal, resident of Shahmahiuddinpur village under Dehat police station limits of Hapur district. After a tip-off about his suspicious activities by central security agencies, the accused was called for questioning at the ATS Meerut unit, the officials said.
He was arrested after he failed to give satisfactory answers about the information shared by him on some suspicious numbers, they added.
The Ministry of External Affairs is aware of the arrest of the embassy staffer, people familiar with the issue said on Sunday, according to news agency ANI.
“MEA continues to work with the investigative authorities in the matter,” they added.
The accused was booked under Indian Penal Code Section 121-A for conspiring to attempt to wage war against the country and sections 3/5/9 of the Official Secrets Act,1923, officials said in the press note.
The ATS seized two mobile phones, Aadhaar card, PAN card and identity proof of the accused after his arrest and are scanning his mobile phones for more information, the officials said.
The ATS officials said that the accused revealed during interrogation that a friend introduced him to the ISI handlers and later he started sharing secret information about Indian Army and others in return for money.
The accused is being interrogated further about his links with the ISI network in Moscow and India, and about what other information he has shared so far, the officials said.
