The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Wednesday arrested a junior works manager at the Kanpur Ordnance Factory for allegedly sharing classified and sensitive information with a suspected Pakistani intelligence operative, a statement said.
According to PTI, the information was leaked through social media by junior manager Kumar Vikas. He was taken into custody on Wednesday after a thorough investigation into the leak.
The investigation revealed that Vikas was in contact with a suspected Pakistani agent who used the alias "Neha Sharma", to get in touch with him.
"Vikas had been sending confidential documents and sensitive data related to ordnance manufacturing, employee attendance sheets, machine layouts, and production charts via WhatsApp," ATS stated.
Authorities said the Pakistani agent introduced herself as an employee of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) and initially contacted Vikas on Facebook. They later exchanged mobile numbers and continued their communication on WhatsApp.
To avoid detection, they used the Ludo gaming app for covert conversations, the statement read. Vikas was allegedly lured by financial incentives to pass on classified information, it said.
The arrest came just days after another Ordnance Factory employee, Ravindra Kumar, was detained on March 13 in Firozabad for similar offences.
It was his interrogation that led ATS officials to question Vikas, who had also been in contact with the suspected Pakistani agent since January 2025, PTI reported.
After Ravindra Kumar allegedly admitted to the crime, a case was registered against Kumar under Section 148 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and under provisions of the Official Secrets Act, of 1923. He was subsequently arrested.
"On a thorough probe, it was found that Ravindra Kumar, a chargeman at the Ordnance Factory in Hazratpur, was sending sensitive and confidential information to a Pakistani agent, who was his Facebook friend," the statement said.
Source: ANI