Honey-Trapped For Secrets: Assam Police Arrests Ex-Army Jawan And Aide For Allegedly Leaking Defence Info To Pakistan

Guwahati: Fresh cases of alleged espionage for Pakistan have surfaced from Assam and Tamil Nadu, with defence personnel among those arrested. In Assam, two persons have been taken into custody on suspicion of supplying sensitive military information across the border, with the police officials stating that the duo fell prey to a honey trap.

The arrests were confirmed by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma while speaking to the media on Sunday. Citing intelligence shared by the central agencies, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that the state police had acted on the input and detained the two people. 

Elaborating, the Chief Minister said, "Today, as per input of central agencies, the Assam Police arrested two persons. One is a retired army jawan but currently working on a contractual basis with the army." He added that there are allegations of them being in touch with Pakistan and providing updates about army movement. He further noted that the two persons were honey-trapped and information was extracted from them, and that they will be handed over to the central agencies for deeper probe.

He also shared the information in a post on X, saying, “Based on central agency inputs, @assampolice has arrested 2 persons allegedly sharing sensitive information on Army movements with Pakistan. Further investigation will be taken up by the central agency.”

Bihar Man Held By STF In Guwahati For PIO Contact

Earlier in the day, the Special Task Force (STF) of Assam Police picked up a man hailing from Bihar from a rented accommodation in Guwahati. The action was linked to alleged espionage-related activities.

As per reports, the initial probe has pointed to his suspected role in such activities, which include passing secret information concerning security forces to a Pakistani intelligence operative, termed a PIO. The police stated that the preliminary investigation has revealed his alleged involvement on this front.

Coimbatore Naval Facility Becomes Centre Of Spying Probe

In a separate but similar development, the arrest of an Indian Navy sailor was reported from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu on Saturday. The individual has been identified as Pradeep Mukherjee, a native of West Bengal who joined the Indian Navy in 2014.

He was apprehended from INS Agrani, which serves as a naval leadership training facility in Coimbatore. According to officials, he had been honey-trapped by a female agent from Pakistan who contacted him via social media. The two had remained in touch over the past few months, a period during which he is alleged to have shared sensitive data regarding strategic naval assets, fleet movements, and the operational framework of the Visakhapatnam base.

The Counter Intelligence Cell (CIC) of the Andhra Pradesh Police, a specialised wing entrusted with tackling cross-border espionage and terror threats, had been keeping his digital footprints under surveillance before the arrest was made.

Arrest Follows March Detention Of Sailor In Kochi

The latest detention comes only a few months after another case involving a naval official, identified as Lance Naik Adarsh Kumar alias Lucky, was held for allegedly leaking information to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence, the ISI.

Adarsh Kumar, who belongs to Agra, was held in Kochi in March this year. The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (UP ATS) stated that he was posted with the Southern Naval Command and was in contact with an ISI agent. His arrest had followed the busting of an espionage network in the state by the ATS.