Honey trapped, government employee still to come to terms that woman he loved was Pak agent

PTI, JAIPUR, OCTOBER 22/, 2022: Jailed Ravi Prakash Meena, a class-4 employee at the Sena Bhawan in Delhi, is not able to believe that the woman he loved was a Pakistani agent. Honey trapped, the 31-year-old is accused of sharing sensitive and strategic information about the army. 

He was "madly in love" with the agent who befriended him on Facebook, said an intelligence officer here familiar with the investigation into Meena's case. From Sapotara in Rajasthan's Karauli district, Meena was apprehended in October first week, making him the 35th person arrested by the state police since 2017 for allegedly sharing sensitive information after being honey trapped by Pakistani agents, including those from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

In Meena's case, the officer said, "The Pakistani agent, who went by the name Anjali Tiwari, posed as an Indian Army officer posted in West Bengal. Even after his arrest, and looking at the evidence, Kumar could not believe that the woman was a Pakistani agent." 

On October 8,following his arrest, Director General of Police (Intelligence), Rajasthan, Umesh Mishra, had said that Meena was sharing confidential and strategic information about the army with her. He was providing information to the agent through social media in exchange for money which was deposited in his bank account, Mishra had said, adding that he has been charged under the Official Secrets Act. 

Of the 35 people, including civilians and security personnel, six were arrested in 2017, as many in 2019, five in 2020, eight in 2021 and 10 so far this year, according to Rajasthan Police data.

"In earlier cases people provided confidential and strategic information in exchange for money. But, now, it is being seen that people are being honeytrapped, emotionally blacked-mailed and then asked for information in exchange for money," DGP (Intelligence) Mishra told PTI. He said that among those arrested are civilians and security personnel. 

The trend of first honey trapping and then getting information against financial exchanges, seems to have become a preferred modus operandi of Pakistani agents since 2019, the intelligence officer, who did not wish to be named, said. Earlier this year, 24-year-old Pradeep Kumar, a native of Uttarakhand posted with an army unit in Jodhpur, was honey trapped by a woman Pakistani agent who went by the name Riya.  

Kumar was arrested in May and the agent had told him that she was a lieutenant colonel posted at the military hospital in Bengaluru, another intelligence officer attached with this case said. "He wanted to marry Riya. She through videocalls had even introduced Kumar to her family, and he made her talk to his sister, "the officer said. 

"The agent told Kumar about her daily routine at work and fights and heated discussions with colleagues. Sympathising with her, he started helping her in preparing drafts and documents. Later, Kumar started sending her photos of documents, exercise regimes and also of army units," the officer said. Even after four days of his arrest and being briefed about the crime, Kumar could not believe that the woman he loved could do this to him, the intelligence officer said requesting anonymity.