Gurugram: The Panipat police have arrested a suspected spy for allegedly leaking sensitive information about India to a Pakistan-based handler.
Nauman Ilahi, 24, originally from Kairana in Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli district, was apprehended after his mobile phone revealed that he was in touch with the Pakistani handler via WhatsApp and other social media platforms, the police said.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (Headquarters), Panipat, Satish Kumar confirmed the arrest Wednesday and told The Print that the police were interrogating the suspected spy.
Karnal SP Ganga Ram Punia, who also has the charge of Panipat, told The Print that initial investigations have confirmed the allegations of espionage. Ilahi has links with certain individuals in Pakistan, to whom he was sharing sensitive and important information, he said.
Regarding the suspected links with terrorists, the SP stated that a definite conclusion can be drawn only after further investigation.
“The police arrested him on Tuesday and registered an FIR under Section 152 (act endangering the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita. We are going to produce him before a court and seek his police remand and interrogate him further to get detailed information,” Punia said.
The FIR was lodged at the Industrial Area Police Station in Panipat.
According to a senior police officer, Ilahi was residing in a colony with his sister, who is married and settled in the city. He had been working as a security guard at a factory, a job he reportedly secured through a Prayagraj-based security agency operator.
The job, the police suspect, was a cover to mask espionage activities, which involved relaying critical information to his handler.
The arrest comes a few days after the police in neighbouring Punjab arrested two persons and named a Pakistan High Commission official in Delhi in an FIR. The episode had led to India expelling the official, an act that was reciprocated by Pakistan as well.
Police are on alert following India’s Operation Sindoor air strike on terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on 7 May. Although a ceasefire was announced 10 May, security agencies are on high alert and keeping a watch on suspicious individuals.
Ilahi’s phone number was flagged during routine checks for its numbers linked to Pakistan, leading to his detention, the police said. A thorough examination of his mobile phone confirmed contact with the Pakistani handler, they added.
Preliminary findings suggest that the suspect’s parents died about five years ago. He relocated to Panipat four months ago to live with his sister, the police said. The Panipat police’s Crime Investigation Agency is questioning the suspect to uncover the extent of his activities and how he established contact with the Pakistani network.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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