New Delhi/Gurugram: Punjab and Haryana are seeing an uptick in cases of the police uncovering espionage rings ever since the launch of Operation Sindoor against terror camps in Pakistan, the latest being the arrest of three suspected spies from the two states.
Sukhpreet Singh from Adiyan village and Karanbir Singh from Chandu Wadala village in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district were arrested Monday, while Haryana police arrested Mohammed Tarif from Kangarka village in Nuh district late on Sunday evening.
The arrests made at the border villages of Adiyan and Chandu Wadala were confirmed by Punjab police chief Gaurav Yadav. Tarif, meanwhile, was arrested for allegedly sharing sensitive military information with Pakistani operatives, a spokesperson of Nuh police said.
Both Sukhpreet and Karanbir were allegedly involved in leaking sensitive military information, related to Operation Sindoor, including troop movements and key strategic locations in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir, with their handlers from Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the Punjab DGP said in a statement.
In the last fortnight, police forces from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have rounded up several suspects on the charges of passing on information to Pakistan handlers. Haryana-based social influencer Jyoti Malhotra is prominent among those now in police custody for their alleged espionage activities.
Monday’s case from Gurdaspur is the third such case in Punjab, so far this month. Earlier, Amritsar Rural police arrested two suspects from the same district on similar charges of sharing information related to movement of troops and defence establishments.
Last week, two suspects were picked up from Malerkotla district for allegedly being part of an espionage racket handled by Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, an official posted at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. His name also cropped up in the probe against social media influencer Jyoti Malhotra, who was arrested from Hisar Sunday.
On 13 May, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) declared the Pakistan High Commission staffer ‘persona non grata’ for “indulging in activities not in keeping with his official status”. Pakistan reacted later the same day with tit for tat action against an Indian High Commission staffer stationed in Islamabad.
Also Read: After arrests in Punjab & Haryana, UP man held for ‘spying, giving money’ to ISI agents in India
Cases against men arrested in Punjab, Haryana
In the latest case from Gurdaspur, police filed an FIR on 15 May under Section 152 (acts endangering sovereignty, unity & integrity of India) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 25 of the Arms Act at the Dorangala police station. Gurdaspur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Aditya said forensic analysis of mobile phones have so far confirmed intelligence inputs about Sukhpreet and Karanbir’s involvement.
“During the investigation, it was also discovered that they were previously involved in drug smuggling activities, through which they came into contact with ISI handlers. Their financial transactions, including online and cash dealings, also came under scrutiny,“ the SSP said.
As for the Nuh case, Tarif was arrested by the district police in a joint operation with the Chandigarh Special Police Force and central agencies. A case was lodged at Sadar Tauru police station under relevant sections of the BNS and the Official Secrets Act.
Tarif was under the watch of security agencies for allegedly sharing sensitive information about Indian military activities and defence preparations with Pakistan for an extended period. The suspect was remanded in police custody for seven days Monday.
Examination of his phone allegedly revealed chats, photos, videos, and images of military activities sent to Pakistani numbers, with some data found deleted, the police said, adding that Tarif was using two separate SIM cards.
Tarif told interrogators that he was supplying confidential information to a staff member at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi in exchange for money, according to the police.
Similar military inputs were allegedly shared with another official after the transfer of the first handler, the police added.
In Haryana, the first arrest was made on 12 May, when Panipat police nabbed Nauman Ilahi, a 24-year-old security guard originally from Kairana, Uttar Pradesh, residing in Hali Colony, Panipat. The same day, Kaithal police arrested Devender Singh Dhillon, a student from Guhla who was allegedly recruited during a pilgrimage to Pakistan, where he was lured by ISI operatives with financial incentives. Four days later on 16 May, Armaan was arrested in Nuh for allegedly supplying SIM cards, transferring funds, and attending the Defence Expo 2025 in Delhi at the direction of Pakistani intelligence operatives.
The most high-profile arrest came on 17 May, when Hisar police detained YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra on the charges of sharing sensitive information about Indian locations and promoting a positive image of Pakistan on social media.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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