Gujarat ATS arrests Pak spy who came to India in 1999; WhatsApp got him caught

He was sending malware to phones and stealing sensitive information.

Published on: Oct 20, 2023, 16:20:22 IST

By HT News Desk

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The Gujarat anti-terror squad arrested a spy from Anand district's Tarapur town on Friday. A native of Pakistan, he had been sending sensitive information to Pakistani agencies.

The ATS said it received inputs from the military intelligence that a Pakistani agent was using WhatsApp on an Indian SIM card. He was sending malware to phones and stealing sensitive information.

"Gujarat ATS received input from the military intelligence that a Pakistani army or a Pakistan agent is using WhatsApp on an Indian SIM Card. He was sending Remote Access Trojan (RAT) malware to access phones and stealing sensitive information," Gujarat ATS SP Om Prakash Jat said, ANI reported.

He said the SIM card was issued under the name Muhammad Saklain Thaim and was activated on the mobile phone of Azgar Hajibhai.

"After activation, the SIM card was delivered in Anand, Tarapur to a person named Labhshankar Maheshwari on the instructions of a person associated with the Pakistan Embassy," he added.

Labhshankar Maheshwari, born and brought up in Pakistan, came to India in 1999 and got Indian citizenship later. His family still lives in Pakistan.

"Labhshankar Maheshwari was a Pakistani citizen who came to India in 1999, he got Indian citizenship later. His extended family is still in Pakistan... The concerned WhatsApp number is still active in Pakistan. They are targeting the family members of the Indian Army personnel," he added.

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HT News Desk
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