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A man and a woman have been arrested in India on suspicion of spying for Pakistan amid ongoing tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
While the man is accused of acting as a courier for information and money, the woman is accused of allegedly using her internet presence to conceal links to the Pakistani spy agency ISI.
The arrests come amid heightened tensions following a military skirmish that left dozens of people dead and pushed South Asia to the brink of war.
Shehzad, identified by only his first name, is a businessman from Rampur in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. He was taken into custody on Sunday and booked for offences related to endangering India’s sovereignty and national integrity.
Investigators alleged that his crossborder trade in clothes, cosmetics and spices was a front for his involvement with the ISI.
He had travelled to Pakistan multiple times, using the trips to maintain contact with ISI operatives and pass on confidential information related to India’s security, police alleged, adding that he also helped arrange travel for other people to Pakistan where they were allegedly recruited by the ISI. In addition, police claimed, Mr Shehzad provided Indian SIM cards and funds to local operatives working for the Pakistani spy agency.
Mr Shehzad’s arrest came days after police in neighbouring Haryana state detained travel blogger Jyoti Malhotra on similar allegations.
Ms Malhotra, who has 370,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel Travel with JO and 130,000 followers on Instagram, was arrested in Hisar on Friday.
Police alleged that she had contact with a Pakistani diplomat, Ahsan-ur-Rahim, who was expelled by India on 13 May on suspicion of espionage.
“During preliminary investigation, it was found that she was continuously in contact with a Pakistani citizen and shared sensitive information,” Hisar’s deputy superintendent of police said.
Police have seized her mobile phone, laptop, and travel documents.
Ms Malhotra had previously travelled to Pakistan and posted videos of her visits to religious sites and local markets, her father told ANI news agency.
One of her last videos featured her attending a Ramadan dinner at the Pakistani high commission in New Delhi.
Investigators claimed that they were examining her links to the 22 April terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, which left 26 people dead, mostly Hindu tourists, and was cited by the Indian government as justification for launching strikes on Pakistan.
Authorities claimed Ms Malhotra’s travel history, including trips to China, Bangladesh and Indonesia, was inconsistent with her known income sources. The Haryana police said they were pursuing leads about her possible accomplices among fellow content creators.
Her father, Haris Malhotra, denied the allegations against his daughter. She had travelled with proper permissions and was targeted unfairly, he said.
“If she has friends there, can’t she call them?” he told ANI, demanding the return of her confiscated electronic devices.
After four days of intense fighting, including missile and drone attacks on each other’s military installations earlier this month, India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire on 10 May.
English (US) ·