One Arrested for Providing Sensitive Information to Pakistani Agent

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad on Monday arrested a 30-year-old man from Navi Mumbai for allegedly sharing sensitive information with a Pakistan-based intelligence operative agent (PIO) through social media.

According to the ATS, it received confidential information that an Indian suspect was in touch with a PIO and had provided confidential and sensitive information in an area restricted by the Indian government.

“The person was interrogated by the ATS and during the probe, it was found that the suspect was introduced to a PIO through Facebook and WhatsApp between November 2021 and May 2023. The suspect had been chatting with PIO on his social media accounts and provided him with confidential information about restricted areas in the country,” the ATS release said.

The accused had been talking to a woman on social media for several months and their conversation went so far that he started following her orders. The suspect is working at a place sensitive to the security of the country. The perpetrator shared important information with the accused woman in exchange for money, said the release.

A case has been registered against the person and the PIO under the Official Secrets Act at the ATS police station. The Suspect has been arrested and the Navi Mumbai unit of ATS is conducting further probe into it, the release said.

Earlier, in a similar case, the Maharashtra ATS had filed a case against a resident of Nashik for allegedly engaging in communication and fund transfers with an ISIS-affiliated foreign entity. The operation, which took place on Jan 24, resulted in the seizure of electronic devices such as mobile phones, SIM cards, laptops, and pen drives, along with incriminating documents.