12 held in two weeks as cops unmask spy ring; 6 from Punjab, 5 Haryana

At least 12 persons, 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, the police said.

In custody for leaking Army info

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Guzala (Malerkotla): Leaked info, got payments from Pak mission official Danish

Yameen Mohamad (Malerkotla): Guzala’s aide, involved in sharing intel for money

Falaksher Masih (Ajnala): Accused of sharing cantonment, airbase photos with ISI

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Suraj Masih (Ajnala): Partnered with Falaksher in leaking defence info

Sukhpreet Singh (Gurdaspur): Leaked troop movement, Op Sindoor details to Pak’s ISI

Karanbir Singh (Gurdaspur): Collaborated with Sukhpreet in spying for Pak intel agents

Nauman Ilahi (Panipat): Security guard from UP, supplied sensitive info to Pak

Devender Singh (Kaithal): Shared Patiala cantonment photos after Pak visit

Armaan (Nuh): Spied for Pak, linked to sacked mission employee Danish

Mohammad Tarif (Nuh): Local quack arrested for suspected espionage ties

Jyoti Malhotra (Hisar): YouTuber groomed by Pakistani agent for espionage

Shahzad (Rampur): Smuggler with multiple Pakistan trips, accused of espionage

While six of them have been held from Punjab, five were nabbed from Haryana and one from Uttar Pradesh. Among them, two women – Hisar-based YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra 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, the government expelled the Pakistani official for allegedly indulging in espionage.

Investigations so far revealed that the suspects were allegedly passing on sensitive information to Pakistani intelligence operatives (PIOs). A probe into their financial transactions and forensic analysis of their electronic devices were also underway.

On May 4, the Punjab Police arrested Falaksher Masih and Suraj Masih, both residents of Ajnala in Amritsar, for allegedly leaking sensitive information and photographs of cantonment areas and airbases in the border district to the ISI.

Guzala and her associate Yameen Mohamad, both hailing from Malerkotla, were arrested by the Punjab Police on May 11 for their links with Danish. They were allegedly receiving payments through online transactions for sharing information. Guzala allegedly confessed to having leaked information about activities of the Army. She revealed the accused official had sent her Rs 30,000 in two transactions -- Rs 10,000 and Rs 20,000 -- via UPI.

Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav on Monday said two persons were arrested for allegedly spying for the ISI. “On May 15, intelligence inputs indicated that Sukhpreet Singh and Karanbir Singh were engaged in sharing classified details related to Operation Sindoor, including troop movement and key locations in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and J&K with the ISI,” the DGP said in a post on X.

The Haryana Police, on May 15, arrested 24-year-old Nauman Ilahi from Panipat district. Ilahi from Kairana in Uttar Pradesh 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, the Haryana police arrested a 25-year-old post-graduate student in Kaithal, Devender Singh, for allegedly having links with PIOs. Singh, who was pursuing a master’s degree from a college in Punjab, had gone to Pakistan on a pilgrimage in November last year. He came in contact with Pakistani operatives and remained in touch with them. He has allegedly admitted to sending some photos of Patiala cantonment.

Vlogger Jyoti came in contact with Danish at the Pakistan High Commission in where she went to seek a visa to visit the neighbouring nation in 2023. The Hisar police said Pakistani agents were grooming her as an asset. She was allegedly in touch with Danish during the four-day military conflict between India and Pakistan following Operation Sindoor.

On Sunday, The Haryana police said it arrested a 26-year-old man from Nuh, Armaan, on the charges of spying for Pakistan.

He also shared information through an employee posted at the High Commission of Pakistan in Delhi. Similarly, the Nuh police on Monday arrested a local quack, Mohammad Tarif of Kangarka village.

In Uttar Pradesh, Shahzad was apprehended by the STF Moradabad for his alleged involvement in cross-border smuggling and espionage activities. He travelled to Pakistan several times over the years and was allegedly smuggling cosmetics, clothes, spices and other items across the border, the agency alleged.