Travel vloggers, visitors using the Kartarpur corridor, to tailor in an Army camp: Read about the list of arrested people who are accused of spying for Pakistan
India, via “Operation Sindoor” has illustrated its formidable ability to penetrate deep into Pakistan, successfully eliminating both terrorist infrastructure and destroying military installations in retaliation of Pakistan’s attacks. While the armed forces have been delivering a powerful message to the terrorist state, a critical effort is underway to identify and nab internal foes.
A systematic nationwide crackdown on individuals engaged in espionage for Pakistani intelligence agencies is currently in progress, resulting in the apprehension of multiple individuals, including social media influencers and YouTubers.
Shehzad Wahab
On 18th May, the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of the Uttar Pradesh Police nabbed a man who was reportedly smuggling commodities across the India-Pakistan border and spying for Pakistan’s intelligence services. The accused was identified as Shehzad Wahab from Tanda in the Rampur district. The arrest was made following information that a local was implicated in illegal operations with the aid of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). He was tracked and taken into custody in Moradabad.
Image via Moneycontrol
After compiling evidence, the ATS brought forth a case on actions that compromise the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India, among other issues. According to the police, they discovered that he had been traveling secretly to Pakistan for years, illegally smuggling clothing, cosmetics, spices and other goods across the border, throughout their investigation.
Shehzad had been monitored after reliable intelligence reports indicated he was involved in smuggling under the protection of Pakistan’s intelligence establishment. He worked for ISI during these visits and was in regular contact with several ISI agents and provided them with private and sensitive information pertaining to the security of India.
According to officials, Shehzad was aiding ISI operations in India in addition to disseminating intelligence. A later inquiry revealed that he had sent money to Islamabad’s agents working in India on their orders. Additionally, he is charged with recruiting and facilitating the transport of individuals from Rampur and other regions of Uttar Pradesh to Pakistan to enlist them for ISI-related activities.
Police stated that ISI agents helped in arranging these people’s visas and travel documents. Furthermore, it is reported that he purchased and provided Indian SIM cards to ISI agents which enabled communication for subversive objectives.
The ATS police station in Lucknow has filed a case against in accordance with sections 148 and 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Shehzad has been presented before a magistrate in Moradabad. He is currently under police remand as additional legal actions are ongoing.
Notably, multiple Pakistani spies in india have been exposed as tensions with Pakistan escalate in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor.
Sukhpreet Singh and Karanbir Singh
Two men have been taken into custody by the Gurdaspur police in Punjab for providing Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) with classified military intelligence pertaining to “Operation Sindoor.” Sukhpreet Singh and Karanbir Singh were reportedly involved in providing Islamabad with classified information, including troop movements and important strategic locations in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir, the Punjab Police informed, citing reliable intelligence inputs received on 15th May.
The intelligence inputs were validated by forensic analysis of their mobiles. Moreover, authorities found eight live .30 bore cartridges and three cell phones in their possession. According to preliminary findings, the accused had communicated vital information about the Indian Armed Forces and had direct contact with ISI handlers. A formal complaint has been filed at the Dorangala police station under the Official Secrets Act.
Mohammad Tarif
A resident of Kangarka village in Taoru tehsil of Mewat district, Mohammad Tarif, was arrested on the evening of 18th May as part of the ongoing investigation into the Pakistani spy network. He has been transmitting sensitive information concerning the Indian Army and defense strategies to Pakistan for a long time. He often asked others to secure visas to visit Pakistan.
His mobile device has also been confiscated. The investigation uncovered suspicious conversations. It was discovered that his mobile contained WhatsApp numbers from Pakistan. He attempted to delete some conversations from his mobile device upon noticing the police team. Additionally, some data appeared to have been erased.
The examination of Tarif’s mobile phone disclosed chats, images, videos and documentation of military operations that he had sent to a person in Pakistan. He maintained continuous contact with Pakistani numbers using two separate SIM cards.
Image via The Tribune
During interrogation, the perpetrator revealed that he had been sharing information regarding Indian military operations and intelligence with Asif Baloch, a staff member at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi in exchange for money. After the latter was moved from the embassy, he met another employee named Jafar, in Delhi. Likewise, he disseminated the vital information to him as well.
Nuh police has registered a case under the relevant section of Indian Penal Code and Official Secrets Act against Mohammad Tarif and the two Pakistani High Commission officials at the Taoru Sadar police station.
“I went to the Pakistan Embassy in 2018 for my Visa. A Pakistani officer interviewed me. He took my number and said he would tell other details on Phone. He called me after three-four days and said, if you want a visa, give me two new Sims. I bought two new Sims from Nuh, and then I went to that Pakistan Embassy and met that officer. He issued me the Visa after I gave him the sims,” he professed in a video confession.
“Then I left for Pakistan. When I returned from Pakistan, he again called me. He said that send some people who need a Pakistani Visa then we will distribute the money among us. Then I referred 8-10 people to him for visas. We shared the money among us,” he added.
He further revealed, “He called me in 2024 and said, you have work here, come to the Pakistan embassy. He then introduced me to another officer named Jafar and said I may get transfer soon so get in touch with him. Then Jafar took my number and contacted me after a few days. He also asked me to get two new Sims. Then he called me and said, you have to do something for us and we’ll pay you in lakhs. He asked me to go to Sirsa airbase and click pictures and videos and send them to them.”
Armaan
On 17th May, Armaan (26), a Class XII dropout was apprehended from Firozpur Jhirka in the Nuh district on the night of 15th May. He lives in Rajaka village of the Nagina block. He regularly communicated with Pakistan via a staffer of its high commission in New Delhi about the Indian Army and the country’s military operations.
File Photo
“A man named Armaan was arrested on 16th May based on the intelligence that the Nagina police had. He was found to be passing sensitive information to the Pakistani side during the conflict between India and Pakistan. He is on remand, and we are collecting the information. We have the evidence, and we are furthering our investigation,” Nuh Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Ajaib Singh declared.
The police stated that a tip from central investigative agencies led to his capture. He distributed the information through social media and WhatsApp for an extended period of time. “When his mobile phone was searched, conversations and photos and videos shared with Pakistani numbers were discovered,” they outlined.
Jyoti Malhotra
33-year-old Hisar-based travel blogger Jyoti Malhotra was taken into custody after she admitted to providing critical information to a Pakistani agent. She was charged under section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Act and sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act. Malhotra had been placed under police remand for five days.
According to the FIR (First Information Report), she met Ehsan-ur-Rahim, also known as Danish, a staff member at the Pakistan High Commission (PHC) in New Delhi, on her 2023 visit there. Danish has since been expelled by India. The government had deemed the Pakistani mission staffer “persona non grata for engaging in activities not in keeping with his official status in India,” according to a statement from the ministry of external affairs.
Image via News18 Hindi
The FIR read, “The woman revealed that she remained in touch with Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish and during her Pakistan visit in 2023, she met Ali Ehwan, who ensured my staying and travelling in Pakistan. Ehwan introduced her to Pakistani security and intelligence officials, where she also met with Shakir and Rana Shahbaz.”
It added, “The vlogger had saved Shakir’s name with ‘Jatt Randhawa’ so that no one could create doubt on her. After returning from Pakistan in 2023, she remained in touch with all the operatives on encrypted platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram and Snapchat.” She made two trips to Pakistan in 2023.
She met several Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIOs) via Danish. She ran the YouTube channel ‘Travel with Jo’ and was actively utilized to promote a positive image of Pakistan on social media and disclosed sensitive information about places in India.
“Certainly, they were developing her as an asset. She was in touch with other YouTube influencers. They were also in touch with PIOs. This is also (a kind of) warfare, in which they try to push their narrative by recruiting influencers,” Hisar Superintendent of Police Shashank Kumar Sawan stated.
Devendra Singh Dhillon
26-year-old Devendra Singh Dhillon of Mastgarh Cheeka hamlet in Haryana’s Kaithal was caught on 12th May for providing sensitive intelligence to the Pakistani army and ISI during the recent India-Pakistan conflict. According to reports, he is a post graduate student of political science at Khalsa College in Patiala.
Image via @LokmatTimes_ngp/X
He entered Pakistan through the Kartarpur Corridor last November and started exchanging private information with Pakistan’s ISI officers, including pictures of Patiala’s military cantonment. He made contact with Pakistani intelligence officers during the visit and maintained that communication following his return.
The initial investigation was prompted by his Facebook activity, which featured images of illegal weapons. Pakistani operatives had made significant investments in him. The espionage and money trail is now being followed via forensic analysis of his bank and phone records.
Nauman Ilahi
A security guard was apprehended by the Panipat police on 10th May for disclosing private information to a handler headquartered in Pakistan. According to authorities, the man was identified as 24-year-old Nauman Ilahi, who was employed as a security guard at a nearby industrial facility in Kairana, Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli district.
Image via Anshul Saxena/Facebook
During questioning, it came to light that he had connections to people in Pakistan with whom he was exchanging critical and sensitive information. He used to provide pictures, videos, and maps of train stops. He charged between 4,000 and 5,000 rupees for each picture shared on social networking platforms like WhatsApp.
According to SP Gangaram Poonia, he did several jobs while residing in Panipat. He used to monitor all movements under the guise of these jobs and informed Islamabad about the same. His aunts reside in Pakistan, according to the investigation. He was also attempting to obtain a passport from Pakistan.
Raqeeb Khan
Raqeeb Khan (32) had been taken into custody by the Punjab Police from the Bathinda army base. He was employed there as a tailor. Pakistan-based phone numbers were discovered on his phone, leading to his detention on suspicion of espionage for Pakistan. He is a native of Roorkee in Uttarakhand and has been working in the region as a tailor for the army camp staff.
File Photo
Raqib’s mobile phone reportedly included sensitive photos and cantonment-related information. His device has been transferred for forensic examination by the police. He was placed under three days of police remand after being turned over to the Bhatinda police and appearing in a local court.
Guzala and Yameen Mohamad
The Punjab police arrested two individuals including a 31-year-old woman and seized an explosives cache close to the border as it busted espionage and arms smuggling operations associated with Pakistan. They have been identified as Guzala and Yameen Mohamad, both residents of Malerkotla.
They were arrested over supplying a handler stationed in Pakistan with confidential military intelligence, based on Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav. According to Malerkotla Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gagan Ajit Singh, she admitted to providing an official at Pakistan’s high commission in New Delhi information about military movements in return for Rs 30,000 transferred over UPI.
The man was arrested on the basis of her disclosures. They were in frequent contact with the handler and were involved in channelling funds to other local operatives as per his instructions. The authorities confiscated two cell phones from them. Police filed a complaint in accordance with the Official Secrets Act and BNS provisions. The FIR also included the Pakistani diplomat’s name.
Palak Sher Masih and Suraj Masih
Two individuals were arrested by the Punjab Police on 4th May for their role in providing Pakistani intelligence agents with private information and images of Army cantonment locations and Amritsar Air Bases. Suraj Masih and Palak Sher Masih were being directed by Harpreet Singh, also known as Happy or Pittu, who is presently incarcerated in Amritsar Central Jail, according to preliminary investigations.
Image via DGP Punjab Police/ Facebook
Officials stated that the accused compromised national security by exchanging strategic information and high-security images. Maninder Singh, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), stated that they were in communication with the Pakistani intelligence operatives.
“They had one more partner, Harpreet, who brought them in touch with the ISI, and we will bring him from Amritsar Jail on a production warrant. One NDPS case was already registered against him,” he added. Their activity increased following the tragic Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir.
Mohammad Murtaza Ali
Mohammad Murtaza Ali, a suspected spy for Pakistan’s ISI intelligence organization was nabbed by Gujarat Police. He was captured during a raid in the Bhargav Camp neighborhood of Jalandhar. Three SIM cards and four cell phones had been confiscated from him. According to officials, he was staying in a rented home in Gandhi Nagar while surreptitiously conducting espionage missions.
Preliminary investigations indicated that he continued to watch Indian news channels and provided the ISI with sensitive information during the recent period of rising hostility between India and Pakistan when Pakistani citizens were prohibited from accessing Indian news websites and television channels. The culprit accomplished this via a mobile app that he had developed.
He shared updates from Indian news broadcasts with Pakistan’s intelligence officers using the app. According to investigators, he even sought huge amounts of money from ISI operatives to gain access to the app and the data it contained. He recently purchased a 25 marla plot where he was constructing an opulent residence at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore.
The police investigation into his bank account revealed a transaction of Rs 40 lakh occurring over the course of one month. He had been regularly providing the ISI with important information about news coverage and other internal events in India throughout the previous few weeks. The police transported him to Gujarat for additional questioning.
Odisha YouTuber under inquiry
Meanwhile, a 21-year-old YouTuber from is also being probed for working with Jyoti Malhotra. She came under scrutiny after it was revealed that, soon after the Malhotra’s visit to Puri Jagannath Temple on 21st September of last year, she had visited the Kartarpur Corridor, a border crossing that leads to Gurdwara Sri Darbar Sahib without a visa.
Jyoti Malhotra, who spent three days in Puri, met her while there, according to police sources. The young woman claimed that the two became friends online about eight months ago after they discovered a mutual passion for travel blogging. Puri Superintendent of Police (SP) Vinit Agrawal informed, “Haryana Police and other security agencies are in touch with us. We have questioned the YouTuber and shared details with them.”
The police are also attempting to ascertain “where she stayed, whom she contacted, and any possible suspicious activities” in addition to “examining the objective” of her trip to Puri. “We are in touch with various central agencies and the Haryana Police. We will share details with the media after field verification,” the official conveyed.
“My daughter came in contact with Jyoti Malhotra as both are YouTubers. As a friendship developed between them, she visited Puri. As it is a matter of the nation’s security, a proper investigation should be carried out. We will cooperate with the police. My daughter visited Kartarpur in Pakistan with another friend, not Jyoti Malhotra, three or four months ago for a pilgrimage. She has no involvement in anti-national activities and was unaware of her alleged espionage,” the Odisha YouTuber’s father maintained.
Conclusion
This list is certainly not exhaustive, as numerous additional names are expected to emerge as agencies work to uncover the Pakistani spy network in India, which presents a significant security risk to the nation, particularly in the current situation. A desperate Pakistan, following its humiliation at the hands of India, could likely attempt to orchestrate another cowardly attack akin to Pahalgam and the information provided by these moles could be utilized for this purpose. The recent initiative to identify and expose them is therefore crucial for the nation’s security and safety.
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