Tezpur, Dec 13: In a series of counter-intelligence operations over the past 24 hours, security agencies have arrested three suspected spies in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, including a retired Indian Air Force staff from Tezpur, for maintaining alleged links with Pakistan intelligence operatives.
In Assam, Tezpur Police on Saturday, arrested Kulendra Sharma, a resident of the Patiachuburi area under Tezpur Sadar Police Station, on charges of spying for Pakistan agencies.
Sharma, a retired Indian Air Force staff, had served at the Tezpur Air Force Station before retiring in 2002. After retirement, he was employed in the electronics department of Tezpur University.
According to the police, preliminary investigations revealed that Sharma allegedly shared sensitive documents and information with Pakistan-based handlers through social media platforms.
Sonitpur Superintendent of Police Barun Purakayastha confirmed that Sharma was arrested following intelligence inputs and would be produced before a Tezpur court on Sunday.
“Electronic devices were seized during the arrest. Preliminary findings indicate the exchange of information with Pakistan intelligence operatives. The investigation is ongoing, and more details will emerge after forensic analysis,” Purakayastha said, adding that some data appeared to have been deleted.
Additional Superintendent of Police Haricharan Bhumij said a case had been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
A senior police official said investigators had been tracking Sharma for some time. “We had intelligence inputs suggesting his involvement in espionage. Data recovered from his devices points to spying activities and communication with Pakistan-based handlers,” the official said.
Meanwhile, Arunachal Pradesh Police, on Saturday, arrested two more suspected spies, identified as Hilal Ahmed (26) from West Siang district and Ghulam Mohammad Mir from Changlang district, both natives of Jammu and Kashmir.
Police said the two were allegedly part of a network that shared sensitive information through a Telegram channel linked to Pakistani handlers.
An Arunachal Pradesh police official said the suspects had allegedly shared details of Army movements, locations of defence camps and other sensitive security-related information with handlers across the border.
“We acted swiftly on intelligence inputs and arrested the suspects. Investigations suggest the information was being passed to handlers in Pakistan,” the official said.
With these arrests, the total number of suspected Pakistan-linked espionage arrests has risen to five in two days.
Earlier, on December 11, Arunachal Pradesh Police arrested two more men from Jammu and Kashmir, namely Nazir Ahmad Malik and Sabir Ahmed Mir, both residents of Kupwara district.
The duo, who were running small businesses in Itanagar, were booked under multiple sections of the BNS, the Official Secrets Act and the Arunachal Pradesh Act, and were sent to judicial custody.
During interrogation, Nazir allegedly admitted to sharing deployment details of the Army and paramilitary forces, as well as information on military installations, with Pakistani operatives.
Police said two mobile phones seized from him contained digital traces linking him to a Telegram channel named “Al AQSA”, which investigators believe was used to transmit classified and security-sensitive information.
With five arrests spanning Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, security agencies believe they have uncovered a wider espionage network operating in the Northeast.