NEW DELHI, Dec 11: Two persons from Jammu & Kashmir were arrested on charges of espionage and alleged links to Pakistan-based handlers, Arunachal Pradesh Police said on Wednesday.
The arrest was made after one of them was allegedly found collecting and transmitting sensitive military information related to army and paramilitary movements in the state.
According to a first information report (FIR) filed by the officer-in-charge of Chimpu police station, the first suspect, identified as Nazir Ahmad Malik, a resident of Kupwara district, was detained on November 22 from a rented house in Ganga village following “credible and actionable” intelligence inputs about his activities.
According to police, Malik admitted to sharing troop deployment details and information on army installations with foreign handlers through encrypted Telegram channels.
Police claim he also disclosed receiving instructions for acts including placing explosives and arson aimed at destabilising security establishments.
Two mobile phones recovered from Malik were examined.
Based on Malik’s statement, police later arrested Sabir Ahmed Mir, also from Kupwara, from the Abotani Colony area of Itanagar.
A senior police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the arrests followed “critical intelligence inputs” from outside Arunachal Pradesh.
“Their main handler, believed to be operating from outside the state, remains untraceable. Both accused are in judicial custody. The case is being pursued diligently as it concerns national security,” the officer said.
The FIR notes that deleted data retrieved from Mir’s phone has strengthened suspicion about his involvement in a wider espionage network.
A preliminary assessment by police suggests that both men were coordinating with “hostile foreign operatives” and were part of a larger plan to compromise national security and disturb public order.
The case has been registered under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Official Secrets Act, and relevant provisions of state law. (HT)
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