Punjab Police have arrested an alleged spy with strong connections to Pakistan’s spy agency ISI and a top Khalistani terrorist, Gopal Singh Chawla, the state police chief said on Tuesday. The accused has allegedly shared critical information about Army movements with agents across the border for years, including during Operation Sindoor.
The arrested accused, Gagandeep Singh, leaked sensitive classified information, including details of troop deployments and strategic locations, posing a serious threat to national security, officials said.
"Preliminary investigation reveals that Gagandeep Singh had been in touch with Pakistan-based Khalistani terrorist Gopal Singh Chawla for the past five years, through whom he was introduced to the Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIOs). He also received payments from PIOs via Indian channels," the Director General of Punjab Police, Gaurav Yadav, said.
According to police, the mobile phone recovered from him revealed critical information about the intelligence he shared with his Pakistan agents, and he had over 20 ISI contacts. Thorough financial and technical investigations are underway to trace other linkages and establish the full scope of this espionage network, the DGP added.
Punjab Police alleged that the Khalistani terrorist Gopal Chawla, who is currently in Pakistan, has been running a spying racket in India in collaboration with the ISI and was actively engaged in espionage during Operation Sindoor, India’s retaliatory action after the Pahalgam terror attack. Chawla is also linked to terror networks in Pakistan and has been photographed with Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed.
Gagandeep Singh's arrest marks the latest in a series of arrests of alleged spies following the Pahalgam attack, in which Pakistan-based terrorists killed 26 people, as security agencies have intensified their anti-espionage operations. Over a dozen people have been arrested from Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh in the past two weeks. Investigations suggest the existence of a Pakistan-linked spy network operating across northern India.
Among those arrested are two women -- Jyoti Malhotra, a Haryana resident with 3.77 lakh subscribers on YouTube and 1.33 lakh followers on Instagram, and 31-year-old Guzala from Punjab. Another CRPF personnel has also been arrested for espionage activities.
Source: India Today