At least 12 nabbed so far from Punjab, Haryana and UP on espionage charges

PTI, CHANDIGARH/LUCKNOW, MAY 19, 2025 :  At least 12 people, including a YouTuber, have been nabbed from Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh on charges of espionage over the last two weeks, with investigations pointing to an alleged Pakistan-linked spy network operating in north India, police said.

While six of them were arrested from Punjab, five were nabbed from neighbouring Haryana, and one from Uttar Pradesh. The arrests took place in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s Operation Sindoor, officials said.

Among those arrested, two women — YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra from Haryana, whose YouTube channel and Instagram account have 3.77 lakh subscribers and 1.33 lakh followers respectively, and 31-year-old Guzala from Punjab — were allegedly in touch with Pakistani officer Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, posted at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. On May 13, India expelled the Pakistani official for allegedly indulging in espionage.

Police investigations so far have revealed that the accused were allegedly passing on sensitive information to Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIOs), officials said, adding that a probe into their financial transactions and forensic analysis of their electronic devices is also underway.

In addition to the arrests made in Punjab and Haryana, an alleged agent of Pakistan's intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), was arrested from Uttar Pradesh's Rampur on Sunday by the state's Special Task Force.

On May 4, Punjab Police arrested Falaksher Masih and Suraj Masih — both residents of Ajnala in Amritsar — for their alleged role in leaking sensitive information and photographs of Army cantonment areas and air bases in the border district to ISI. Both were allegedly involved in collecting and transmitting crucial information, such as Army movements, locations of BSF camps and airports, photographs, and other sensitive data to their handlers in Pakistan, police said.

Two more persons, including a woman, were arrested by Punjab Police on May 11 for their alleged involvement in espionage activities linked to Pakistani official Danish, posted at the High Commission in Delhi. The accused were identified as 31-year-old Guzala and Yameen Mohamad, both residents of Malerkotla. They were receiving payments through online transactions in exchange for sharing classified information, according to police.

During questioning, Guzala allegedly confessed to having shared confidential information about Indian Army activities with the Pakistani official posted at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.

Meanwhile, Punjab Police DGP Gaurav Yadav on Monday said that two persons were arrested for allegedly sharing sensitive military information with Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI.

"On 15th May 2025, credible intelligence inputs indicated that Sukhpreet Singh and Karanbir Singh were engaged in sharing classified details related to #OperationSindoor, including troop movements and key strategic locations in #Punjab, #HimachalPradesh, and #JammuAndKashmir — with #Pakistan's intelligence agency, #ISI," the DGP said in a post on X.

The Haryana Police, on May 15, arrested 24-year-old Nauman Ilahi from Panipat district for allegedly supplying sensitive information to individuals in Pakistan. Ilahi, originally from Kairana in Uttar Pradesh, was in touch with a Pakistan-based ISI handler, as per the investigation. Ilahi worked as a factory security guard and is accused of supplying sensitive information to Pakistan. He was staying with his sister and brother-in-law at Hali Colony in Panipat.

A day after his arrest, Haryana Police apprehended a 25-year-old post-graduate student in Kaithal for allegedly having links with PIOs. Devender Singh, from Guhla area in Kaithal district, was arrested for allegedly uploading photos on social media with weapons.

On May 16, Haryana Police arrested Hisar-based YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra on charges of passing on sensitive information to PIOs. Malhotra, who runs the YouTube channel ‘Travel with JO’, was arrested from New Agarsain Extension in Hisar.

On Sunday, Haryana Police also arrested a 26-year-old man from Nuh district on charges of spying for Pakistan. Armaan was arrested on Saturday for allegedly sharing information related to the Indian Army and other military activities with Pakistan through an employee posted at the High Commission of Pakistan in Delhi, police said.