Jalandhar police have arrested 3 local youths for spying today. These youths came in contact with Pakistani handlers through social media and were getting huge sums of money in return for sending intelligence information about the country. The police have registered a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against the accused.
Jalandhar Police Commissioner Satinder Singh said that a special team formed under the leadership of DCP Investigation, ADCP Investigation and DSP Investigation took action and arrested three accused. The three accused are residents of Jalandhar.
Identity of the accused and Pakistani connections
The accused have been identified as Pradeep Singh (son of Hardev Singh), Bhagat Verma and Sachin Khosla, the police commissioner said. Investigations have revealed that these three accused were carrying out anti-national activities in India at the behest of anti-national elements like Shahzad Patti and Samaj Gujjar. These handlers are currently operating their network sitting in Pakistan.
Spying on sensitive targets
This gang mainly used to do recce of important and sensitive government installations in India. The accused had visited not only Punjab but also other states of the country. There, they collected intelligence, photographs and maps of important government and security buildings and sent them to their handlers sitting in Pakistan.
Money Transactions and Social Media Traps
According to police officials, the accused came in contact with Pakistani handlers through social media platforms. The Jalandhar police have strong evidence and records that the accused were being funded from abroad for these anti-national activities. The police have also found important evidence related to bank accounts and chat records.
A case has been registered under UAPA, further arrests will be made.
In this sensitive matter related to national security, the police have registered a case against the accused under strict sections of the UAPA. Police say that the investigation is at an early stage and much important evidence cannot be disclosed due to security reasons.
According to the police, more people may be involved in this network, in search of whom raids are being conducted continuously. More arrests are expected in the case in the coming days.