Ghaziabad: The Uttar Pradesh police on March 14 arrested six people for allegedly spying for Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the ISI. The arrested accused have been identified as Suhail Malik, Praveen, Raj, Shiva, Hrithik and Iram alias Mahak. They were produced before a court the same evening and were sent to judicial custody.
Sensitive sites across multiple states targeted
According to the police, the accused were sharing photographs, videos and location details of sensitive sites across several states with handlers in Pakistan. These included the Army Cantonment area in Delhi, railway stations, the Government Railway Police (GRP), the Railway Protection Force (RPF), as well as key defence zones and railway stations in Mumbai, along with locations in Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab and Karnataka.
Police said that around six months ago, Suhail allegedly installed a solar-powered camera at Delhi Cantt Railway Station, which transmitted a live feed directly to a contact number in Pakistan. The accused were reportedly paid between Rs 5,000 and Rs 20,000 for sharing the information. Authorities have seized eight mobile phones from the accused and are examining the contact numbers found in them.
Suhail Malik allegedly recruited others into network
Investigators said Suhail Malik had recruited the other accused. Suhail and Raj Valmiki were friends who knew each other from Delhi and had worked together at hotels and roadside eateries about a year ago. After quitting their jobs, Suhail moved to Meerut. When Raj later faced financial difficulties, Suhail allegedly involved him in the espionage activities. Praveen, Shiva Valmiki, Ritik Gangwar and Iram were subsequently brought into the network.
Initially, the accused would send photos and videos to Suhail, who then forwarded them to his contacts in Pakistan. Later, all the accused were reportedly directly connected with their handlers and were added to a WhatsApp group. Police also said the accused had received parcels from Pakistan. Authorities are continuing their investigation to determine how Suhail first established contact with the Pakistani handlers.
