More than a decade before Haryana-based YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra’s arrest for allegedly leaking military secrets to Pakistan, India was shaken by a similar breach from within diplomatic ranks.
During her posting in Islamabad in 2010, Madhuri Gupta, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, was arrested for passing classified secrets to Pakistan’s ISI, triggering a major espionage case.
Amid intense tensions between India and Pakistan in the backdrop of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, Indian intelligence agencies in early 2010 received alarming signals of a possible mole within the High Commission in Islamabad, NDTV reported.
From diplomat to spy
The alerts prompted the then Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief Rajiv Mathur to initiate a quiet but decisive counter-intelligence operation, one that would soon zero in on an unlikely suspect, Madhuri Gupta.
How intelligence agencies uncovered Madhuri Gupta’s Double Life
At the time, Gupta held the position of second secretary (press and information) and was better known for her command of Urdu, deep appreciation of Sufi poetry, and intellectual pursuits. But the intelligence trail, built through methodical surveillance, began to unravel a far more troubling reality.
Rather than move in immediately, intelligence officials opted for patience and precision. Once suspicions around Madhuri Gupta solidified, the Intelligence Bureau coordinated closely with the chiefs of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), KC Verma, and Home Secretary GK Pillai. It was agreed that surveillance would continue for another fortnight, the report added.
{{/usCountry}}Rather than move in immediately, intelligence officials opted for patience and precision. Once suspicions around Madhuri Gupta solidified, the Intelligence Bureau coordinated closely with the chiefs of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), KC Verma, and Home Secretary GK Pillai. It was agreed that surveillance would continue for another fortnight, the report added.
{{/usCountry}}During this period, Gupta was subtly fed false information, details designed to track any leaks. When that fabricated intelligence resurfaced through suspected ISI channels, investigators had the confirmation they needed: Gupta was relaying sensitive material to a foreign adversary.
Still unaware that a net was closing in around her, Gupta was summoned to Delhi on the pretext of assisting with media preparations for the upcoming SAARC Summit. She reached the capital on 21 April 2010 and reported to the ministry of external affairs the next morning.
When Madhuri Gupta arrived at the ministry of external affairs in South Block, Delhi Police' special cell, already informed, quickly moved in.
She was arrested within minutes for leaking classified defence information to Pakistan’s ISI. Gupta was arrested on 22 April 2010 under the Official Secrets Act.
Investigators said she had revealed the identities of Indian intelligence officials posted in Pakistan.
How did Gupta fall for the honeytrap?
Madhuri Gupta’s downfall came through a carefully planned honeytrap. Investigators found that a much younger Pakistani agent was sent to seduce her, gaining her trust and extracting sensitive information, which ultimately led to her betrayal.
The agent, Jamshed also known as Jim was in his 30s, half her age, tasked with seducing Gupta and extracting sensitive information.
The operation was overseen by Mudassar Raza Rana, who knew Pakistan’s then interior minister personally. They reached out to Gupta through a female journalist and built her trust by helping her track down a rare book by Maulana Masood Azhar, the leader of Jaish-e-Mohammed.
Gupta maintained regular contact with both men using a computer at her Islamabad home and a Blackberry phone. Investigations showed she had become infatuated with Jamshed, expressing wishes to convert to Islam, marry him, and move to Istanbul.
Her messages frequently touched on themes of Sufism, Rumi, and Urdu, passions that Jamshed deliberately took advantage of.
After being found guilty of spying for Pakistan in 2018, she lived in Bhiwadi, Rajasthan, awaiting the verdict of her appeal. She passed away in October 2021 at the age of 64, with her appeal still pending before the Delhi High Court, the report added.