Businessman, student, security guard among 11 Indians arrested for allegedly spying for Pakistan

NEW DELHI: Indian authorities have arrested nearly a dozen nationals for allegedly spying for Pakistan following their most serious conflict in decades, local media reported citing police.

At least 60 people died in fighting earlier this month triggered by an April 22 attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing – a charge Pakistan denies.

Muslim-majority Kashmir is claimed in full by both countries, which have fought multiple wars over the Himalayan territory since their 1947 independence from Britain.

Broadcaster NDTV reported Monday that authorities had arrested nine alleged “spies” in the northern states of Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.

Punjab’s director general of police Gaurav Yadav said Monday that his team had arrested two people “involved in leaking sensitive military information”.

Police had received “credible intelligence inputs” the two men were involved “in sharing classified details” related to New Delhi’s strikes deep into Pakistan’s territory on the night of May 6-7.

A preliminary investigation showed they were in “direct contact” with handlers from Pakistan’s intelligence agency Inter-services Intelligence (ISI) and “had transmitted critical information concerning the Indian Armed Forces,” Yadav added.

In Haryana, police arrested a travel blogger was arrested on similar charges.

On Monday it was reported that popular Indian blogger, Jyoti Malhotra, was arrested for allegedly spying for Pakistan. Boasting over 3.7 lakh YouTube subscribers, she is accused to have passed secret information to Pakistani intelligence via WhatsApp, Telegram, and Snapchat.

Her Instagram account is also said to have been taken down by Meta.

Police say the accused woman travelled to Pakistan at least twice and had been in contact with an official from the country’s embassy, local media reported.

Others arrested include a student, a security guard and a businessman.

The India Today news outlet reported 11 such arrests. It said the accused were “lured into the spy network through social media, monetary incentives, false promises, messaging apps and personal visits to Pakistan”.

The arrests come after the worst flare-up in violence between the nuclear-armed rivals since their last open conflict in 1999.

A ceasefire was agreed after four days of missile, drone and artillery attacks that sparked fears of a descent into full-blown war.