2 held in Punjab, 1 in Haryana on charges of 'spying' for Pakistan

Three people - two from Punjab and one from Haryana - were arrested for allegedly spying for Pakistan on Monday.

Haryana police's Mewat unit arrested Mohammad Tareef of Kangarka village, and said he "confessed" to sharing sensitive information about military and other agencies with two Pak high commission officials. Police alleged that he got cash and other facilities in exchange for the information. Tareef is the fifth person from Haryana to be held for spying in recent times, and the second from Nuh.

The Punjab DGP posted on X that Sukhpreet and Karanbir were apprehended after credible inputs on May 15 revealed that the two were allegedly engaged in sharing classified details related to Op Sindoor, including troop movements and key strategic locationswith ISI. , 18

Nuh resident held for spying for Pak, sharing Sirsa airbase details

A resident of Nuh was arrested for allegedly sharing sensitive details about Indian Air Force with people in Pakistan in exchange for money. The arrest of Mohammad Tarif, a quack in Kangarka in Tauru Sadar, is the 13th on charges of alleged espionage since India launched Operation Sindoor and the second from Nuh.

The FIR filed by Nuh police also names two staffers of Pakistan High Commission, who are identified as Asim Baloch and Zafar. The name of another Pakistani official posted in India, Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, had come up in another case of alleged espionage in which Hisar-based YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra was accused of spying for Pakistan and arrested last week.

Police said Tarif had in his confession said he was in touch with Baloch and Zafar and shared the location, videos and photos of the IAF station in Sirsa with Zafar, who sent those details to people in Pakistan. Incidentally, a Pakistani missile was intercepted over Sirsa during the recent India-Pakistan military confrontation.

"Both Nuh police and central agencies received inputs about Tarif that he was sharing sensitive information on the country with Pakistan and provided SIMs to Pak officials in lieu of money. We arrested him and produced him in a local court, which sent him to police custody for seven days. A detailed investigation is under way," DSP (headquarters, Nuh) Harinder Kumar said.

Tarif, according to investigators, claimed when he first went to the Pakistan High Commission for his visa in 2018, he met Baloch, who interviewed him. "Asim returned my passport and took my contact number. He told me he would update me over the phone about my visa status and assured me assistance. After four days, Asim called me and asked me to arrange two SIM cards in exchange for the visa," Tarif is believed to have told police.

After providing the SIM cards, Tarif received his visa and travelled to Pakistan in 2018. When he returned to India, Baloch allegedly contacted him again. "He asked me to send him the files of Pakistan visa aspirants and offered me a commission. I referred 8-10 people to him. We shared the commission equally. I again secured a visa through him in 2021 to travel to Pakistan. Baloch contacted me in 2024 again and introduced me to Zafar, who replaced him at the high commission. I exchanged contact with Zafar and arranged two SIMs for him too. And then I again started referring visa aspirants to him and continued to be paid by the commission. Zafar helped me secure a Pakistani visa in 2024, following which I again went there for the third time," Tarif was quoted by police as saying.

After his third Pakistan visit in 2024, Zafar allegedly offered him money for information on Sirsa IAF station. Police said Tarif attempted to remove certain chat records from his phone before his arrest.