Two Punjabis Arrested for Spying for Pakistan

Amritsar: In a major national security breach, two youths from Punjab — including a serving Indian Army jawan — have been arrested on charges of espionage for Pakistan. The accused are alleged to have shared sensitive military information with operatives linked to Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the ISI.

According to sources in the Punjab Police and Military Intelligence, the arrests were made following a joint surveillance operation based on suspicious digital activity traced back to the accused. Investigators revealed that one of the arrested individuals is a jawan posted in a forward area, while the other is a civilian from Tarn Taran district with known links to cross-border smuggling channels.

Authorities believe the ISI handlers used fake social media profiles, often portraying themselves as women, to lure the jawan into conversation and later manipulate him into sharing restricted defense data. Through these online exchanges, maps of military installations, troop movement updates, and internal documents are suspected to have been leaked.

During questioning, the civilian accused reportedly confessed to acting as a middleman, receiving money transfers through hawala channels in exchange for facilitating contact with army personnel. Several encrypted chats, email exchanges, and bank transaction records have been recovered from their phones and laptops.

Both individuals have been charged under the Official Secrets Act and sections of the Indian Penal Code related to national security. The army jawan has been suspended pending a full internal inquiry, and more arrests may follow as the network of contacts is further uncovered.

The arrest has sent shockwaves through defense circles, especially as it highlights the increasing use of cyber honey-trapping tactics by foreign intelligence agencies. Indian defense establishments are now reviewing cyber hygiene practices and reinforcing awareness among personnel regarding online threats.

Punjab Police and central intelligence agencies are jointly interrogating the accused to determine how deep the leak goes and whether any other officials were compromised.

This incident is not the first of its kind in recent years, but the involvement of an active-duty soldier once again underscores the urgent need for enhanced vigilance at all levels of defense and public security.