UP businessman arrested on charges of spying for Pakistan

The accused, identified as Shahzad, was arrested in Moradabad after the STF received intelligence regarding his involvement in cross-border smuggling and espionage activities for Pakistan

Lucknow: Days after the arrest of Haryana-based YouTuber and travel blogger Jyoti Malhotra on charges of espionage, the Uttar Pradesh Police’s Special Task Force (STF) has arrested a businessman from Rampur for allegedly spying for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

The accused, identified as Shahzad, was arrested in Moradabad after the STF received intelligence regarding his involvement in cross-border smuggling and espionage activities for Pakistan. According to officials, Shahzad had been passing sensitive national security-related information to his handlers in Pakistan.

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The STF, in a statement, said Shahzad had visited Pakistan several times in recent years under the pretext of conducting business. He was reportedly engaged in smuggling items such as cosmetics, clothes, spices, and other goods across the border. However, the agency revealed that this illegal trade served as a front for his covert operations on behalf of the ISI.

Further investigation indicated that Shahzad not only shared strategic information with Pakistani agents but also played a role in facilitating their operations within India. He used to provide Indian SIM cards and money to ISI agents operating in India, according to the STF.

Authorities also discovered that Shahzad was responsible for sending individuals from Rampur and other parts of Uttar Pradesh to Pakistan to work for the ISI. The visas for these individuals were arranged by ISI agents.

Following the confirmation of these findings, an FIR (No. 04/25) under Sections 148 and 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was registered at Police Station ATS, Lucknow.

This arrest comes on the heels of a similar case involving travel blogger Jyoti Malhotra, who was detained by Haryana Police earlier this week, along with five others, for allegedly spying and providing sensitive information to Pakistani operatives. Malhotra, who had travelled to Pakistan twice in 2023, was placed in police remand for five days after her alleged links to a spy network spanning Haryana and Punjab came to light.

According to the First Information Report (FIR), Malhotra visited the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi in 2023, where she met Ehsan-ur-Rahim, alias Danish, a Pakistani High Commission staffer. She reportedly shared sensitive information related to Indian locations and military movements, while also portraying Pakistan in a positive light through her social media content.

Danish was recently declared persona non grata by the Indian government and expelled from the country on May 13. He is said to have introduced Malhotra to multiple intelligence operatives in Pakistan. Investigators claim that she was in a personal relationship with one of these operatives and even travelled with him to Bali, Indonesia.

During Danish’s tenure in Delhi, Malhotra was allegedly in regular contact with him. She is believed to have met intelligence officers during her visits to Pakistan and had supplied them with sensitive details about Indian military activities.