Jaipur, Dec 1 In a major breakthrough, the CID Intelligence Wing of the Rajasthan Police has arrested a youth from Punjab in Rajasthan's Sri Ganganagar district for spying on behalf of Pakistan's intelligence agency, the ISI, officials said on Monday.
The accused has been identified as Prakash Singh alias Badal (34), a resident of Punjab's Ferozepur.
He was apprehended while roaming near a military area in Sri Ganganagar.
According to officials, the accused had been sending photos and videos to Pakistan and monitoring the movements of the Indian Army.
CID Intelligence Inspector General of Police (IGP), Praful Kumar, said that Prakash Singh, originally from Bhamba Haji village in Ferozepur district, had been in continuous contact with ISI handlers in Pakistan through social media, particularly WhatsApp.
The IGP said, "The youth had been in touch with the ISI since the time of Operation Sindoor. He used to send pictures and videos of Army's activities in Rajasthan, Punjab, and Gujarat --vehicle movements, military bases, bridges, roads, railway lines near the border, and new construction works."
According to IG officer Kumar, Badal created WhatsApp accounts using other people's mobile numbers by obtaining their OTPs.
These accounts were then used by Pakistani handlers to conduct espionage and other anti-national activities. In return, Badal received substantial payments.
On November 27, suspicious activity near the Sadhuwali military area in Sri Ganganagar was reported.
The Border Intelligence Team detained the accused.
Upon checking Badal's phone, chats with several Pakistani numbers were discovered.
He was subsequently taken to the Joint Interrogation Centre in Sri Ganganagar and later to Jaipur, where multiple intelligence agencies questioned him.
Digital evidence confirmed the espionage activities.
Finally, on December 1, a case under the Official Secrets Act, 1923, was registered at the Special Police Station in Jaipur, and Prakash Singh alias Badal was formally arrested.
The investigation is underway to determine how many more individuals in Rajasthan and Punjab were linked to the accused's network.
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