Crackdown On Spies: Punjab, Rajasthan, J&K Bust Pakistan-Linked Espionage Rings Amid Operation Sindoor Fallout

In a series of counter-espionage operations, three bordering states have managed to bust major spy networks on Tuesday (3 June).

In the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, a series of Indian military strikes on terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following the deadly Pahalgam attack, security agencies have launched a sweeping crackdown on espionage networks linked to Pakistan.

Punjab

In Punjab, Gagandeep Singh, also known as Gagan, was arrested by the Counter-Intelligence Wing for allegedly sharing sensitive military information with Pakistani intelligence operatives during Operation Sindoor.

Authorities revealed that Singh had connections with Gopal Singh Chawla, a Khalistani leader based in Pakistan, and was transmitting classified details about troop deployments and strategic locations.

Punjab Police, in coordination with counter-intelligence agencies, have arrested over ten individuals.

Rajasthan

In Rajasthan, intelligence officials arrested 49-year-old Shakur Khan from Jaisalmer on charges of espionage. Investigations revealed his connection to Danish, a staffer at the Pakistan embassy in Delhi, who was declared persona non grata by the Indian government on May 13 for alleged spying.

Danish had reportedly built a network of informants, including travel vlogger Jyoti Rani Malhotra from Haryana, whose arrest in May shed more light on the espionage ring.

Jammu and Kashmir

In Jammu and Kashmir, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha dismissed three government employees, including a police constable, for alleged connections with the banned terrorist organisations Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen.

The accused are Malik Ishfaq Naseer, a police constable; Ajaz Ahmed, a school teacher; and Waseem Ahmad Khan, a junior assistant at Government Medical College, Srinagar.

The number of arrested Pakistani spies is rising, and the crackdown is going on all over the country. Those detained leaked sensitive military details to the ISI and Khalistani operatives.

These developments emphasise the ongoing threats posed by the Pakistani intelligence agency and terrorist organisations in India.