Arunachal Pradesh Police have taken two more people into custody on espionage charges, raising the total number of arrests in the case to four. Investigators say the group was allegedly passing sensitive security information to handlers based in Pakistan.
The latest arrests were made in Aalo in West Siang district and in Miao in Changlang district. West Siang SP Kardak Riba said his office received a tip-off from the Itanagar Police on December 11 about a suspect linked to the probe being present in Aalo.
“A team was sent out immediately. With support from local mosque leaders, the suspect was located and detained,” Riba said. The man was identified as Hilal Ahmed, 26, a resident of Kupwara district in Jammu and Kashmir. He was later moved to Itanagar for further questioning.
Police said Hilal had travelled to Aalo from Papum Pare district on November 25 to take part in a trade fair at the Old Market, where he was selling blankets. He is suspected of sharing sensitive information with external handlers, and investigators are now examining his role in detail.
In Changlang district, police confirmed that another person was picked up from Miao in connection with the same case, though no additional information was released.
Earlier, two other Kupwara residents — Nazir Ahmad Malik and Sabir Ahmed Mir — were arrested from the Itanagar Capital Region. Nazir was detained on November 22 from a rented house in Ganga village in the Chimpu police station area after intelligence inputs. Information provided during his questioning led to the arrest of Sabir from Abotani Colony.
According to police, Nazir admitted to sharing deployment details of the Army and paramilitary forces, along with information on military installations, with handlers in Pakistan through Telegram. Sabir is suspected of helping facilitate the illegal entry of Pakistani nationals into India and acting as a courier for arms.
A case has been registered under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Official Secrets Act. The investigation is ongoing.
