Punjab: Malerkotla woman among two held on espionage charges

The Malerkotla police on Sunday arrested two persons including 31-year-old woman for their alleged involvement in espionage activities linked to a Pakistani official posted at the High Commission in Delhi, said Punjab director general of police Gaurav Yadav.

Those arrested have been identified as Guzala and Yameen Mohamad, both residents of Malerkotla. Police have also recovered two mobile phones from their possession.

The DGP said the accused official has also been identified and named in the FIR.

The development came days after the Amritsar Rural Police arrested two persons — Falaksher Masih and Suraj Masih — for their alleged role in leaking sensitive information and photographs of the army cantonment areas and air bases to Pakistan’s intelligence agency.

The DGP said the accused had been receiving payments through online transactions in exchange for sharing classified information. They were in frequent contact with the handler and were involved in channelling funds to other local operatives as per his instructions.

This operation marks a significant step in dismantling cross-border espionage networks and reinforces our commitment to national security, police said.

Further investigation will be undertaken as per established protocol, with a focus on tracing the financial trail and identifying additional operatives and linkages within the network, he added.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP), Malerkotla, Gagan Ajit Singh said acting on credible intelligence, accused Guzala was arrested for leaking sensitive information regarding the Indian Army movements to a Pakistan-based handler. Based on disclosures made by her during interrogation, a second conduit identified as Yameen Mohamad was also identified and taken into custody, he said.

During interrogation, Guzala confessed to having shared the confidential information about activities of the Indian Army with the official posted at Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, Yadav said.

“Guzala further revealed that she was doing it in lieu of money and the accused official has sent her ₹30,000 in two transactions via UPI (unified payment interface).

A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Official Secret Act at Police Station City-1 Malerkotla.