Agra: As day broke over Chitpur village on the outskirts of Agra, villagers woke up to the sights and sounds of Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) vehicles streaming in. This was no ordinary bucolic Monday, and in more ways than one, for the ATS was there to question 24-year-old Adarsh Kumar, who villagers saw as an ‘ideal’ for young boys.
Called Lucky by family and friends, Adarsh is a reserved young man known to rarely step out of his home. He was the pride of the village, a Leading Mechanic in the Indian Navy—a rank equivalent to the Army’s Lance Naik—posted at Southern Naval Command, Kochi.
The villagers couldn’t believe it when the reason for the ATS swoop became known. That didn’t, however, stop word from spreading like fire: Adarsh is alleged to be a Pakistani spy, the whispers went viral. He has now been arrested by the UP ATS on charges of spying for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Days have passed, but Kumar’s family remains in a stasis of disbelief. All they can do is watch TV obsessively for news—any news—of their son.
Kumar was on three weeks’ leave and had just got married.
His room in the Chitpur house tells a sorry tale. A lone CFL bulb casts dim light on its pink walls; everything has been left as it was when the ATS came calling. There’s a sofa with cushions strewn around, the bedsheet is crumpled, and the puja lights are on.
Kumar’s backpack hangs from one wall. His wedding suit, all of three weeks old, is draped over a hanger, as forlorn as the wedding picture that looks down on the scene.
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‘ISI honey trap, leaked warship photos’
Kumar’s elder sister Deepa’s holds her head with her hands, as if seeking support in trying to understand how she went from a normal day to answering questions about the serious allegations against her brother. “We know as much as the media knows. My brother is the most hardworking man I know. I don’t think any allegation is true. He is being framed. My brother is innocent,” she says.
On Tuesday, the Uttar Pradesh ATS said they had intelligence that an individual was spying on India for Pakistani military intelligence, and was in touch with a Pakistan-based ISI agent. “This intelligence was developed by the UP ATS team through electronic and physical surveillance, and the name of Adarsh Kumar, alias Lucky, came up during the investigation,” a source in the UP ATS told ThePrint.
“The investigation has also revealed that Adarsh was involved in transferring money from his account to the agent’s bank account,” the source alleged.
Sources in the ATS also alleged that Adarsh “shared photographs of strategically sensitive warships,” a charge as serious as it gets. “After the fact was established during the investigation, Adarsh was arrested on 10 March. He was also presented before court as per the rules, and remanded to judicial custody,” officials said.
Caught in a honey trap?
Police sources suspect that Adarsh was honey-trapped into sharing critical information, including photographs of warships at Kochi naval base.
He allegedly came into contact with a person claiming to be a woman on Instagram. The two began talking, then exchanged numbers and shifted their interaction to WhatsApp.
Speaking to ThePrint, a source in the ATS said the two had been in touch for the past one-and-a-half years. “He came in contact with a woman on Instagram and the two started to flirt. They then exchanged numbers and began talking on WhatsApp. Gradually, she convinced him to share sensitive information related to security of the command, including some pictures of warships docked there, videos and critical documents,” the source said.
The police are also looking into if there are more people involved in the alleged espionage network, and investigating how the accused was sharing sensitive information.
The police are examining communication records, financial transactions, and digital devices recovered from the accused as part of the ongoing probe.
Further investigation will also determine the extent of information shared and the duration of his contact with the ISI handler, the sources added.
Adarsh, the ideal
Deepa sits among a cluster of relatives in their house. The air is heavy, almost funereal; denial is the only refuge now. The man being described as a spy in news reports is not the brother she knows, Deepa says. “The news has termed my brother a spy; the headlines shame him. My brother has always been an ideal son, brother and a husband. He never did anything wrong to anybody. These are rumours.”
Adarsh is the youngest of four siblings, and the only son. “Adarsh was born after years of prayers. The family really wanted a son. Adarsh was ‘Lucky’ because only he got the opportunity to study in an English-medium school. The family put in all they could to ensure he got a real education,” says Kishan Bir Singh, Adarsh’s uncle.
All that is true. Adarsh’s father is a farmer, like most in the village. He took several loans so he could send Adarsh to prepare for SSB coaching in Agra.
“Adarsh’s dream was to serve the country. He did not want to work in the private sector, or have any ordinary job. He wanted to make his country proud. And most importantly, Adarsh wanted to make our father proud,” says Deepa.
By 2019, Adarsh’s ambition began to take shape when he got through to a career in the Navy, joining as a mechanic at Southern Naval Command in Kochi, Kerala. “Our entire family was happy. We knew the family would move out of its days of struggle,” says Deepa.
A ‘simple’ life
ISI jasoos (spy), gaddaar (traitor)—is what Tanu reads when she goes to Facebook. “This is how the media is describing Adarsh, my brother-in-law,” she says. “All news reports claim he lived a fancy life. If he was making money by spying, why would we continue living here in a remote part of Agra?” she asks with a hint of defiance.
According to Tanu, Adarsh was looking forward to his wedding in Mathura and took a small loan to get married in February this year, and the trip after the wedding, to Manali, was all he could afford. “Adarsh was a simple man,” Tanu claims. “He wouldn’t spend even Rs 10 unnecessarily. He would mostly stay at home, and lived a very basic life.”
Adarsh, said Tanu, was eager to return to work on March 14, a few days before the arrest. “A few people from the Navy did reach out, they asked about Adarsh, but didn’t say anything else,” says Tanu.
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A village divided
In Chitpur, where Adarsh Kumar grew up, reactions to his arrest are mixed. Some neighbours claim the allegations are “baseless,” while others stay cautiously silent.
In the few families that have seen Adarsh grow up from close, there’s not one bad word for him like. For Triveni, 70 and Asha, 65, Adarsh was a well-mannered young man.
“He never consumed alcohol. He didn’t chew paan or supari, and was an example for many,” says Triveni. Asha nods in assent.
Triveni is right about Adarsh being an example. There’s Saurabh Chahar, 18, who has finished with his Class 12 examinations and is now preparing for ‘fauj’ examinations.
Adarsh was his mentor. “Adarsh bhaiya helped me figure out what I could do after school. I would be stuck, but he would tell me to have hope,” says Saurabh.
Saurabh’s ideal will face trial now. And the charges could destroy more than just another young man’s dreams.
(Edited by Nardeep Singh Dahiya)