Navy staffer arrested for spying for Pakistan's ISI: Who is he?
Vishal Yadav, a clerk at the Indian Navy's headquarters in Delhi, was arrested for allegedly spying for Pakistan's ISI. He is accused of sharing sensitive naval information with a Pakistani handler for money, with his activities monitored by the Rajasthan Police's Intelligence Wing.
A man identified as Vishal Yadav has been arrested from the Indian Navy’s headquarters in Delhi on charges of spying for Pakistan’s intelligence agency, ISI, according to a report by NDTV.
Who is Vishal Yadav?
According to the report, Yadav, a clerk at the naval headquarters and a resident of Haryana, is accused of passing sensitive information about the Navy and other defence units to a female Pakistani handler in exchange for money, allegedly over the years, including during Operation Sindoor.
His arrest was carried out by the Intelligence Wing of the Rajasthan Police, following surveillance.
NDTV reported that senior police officer Vishnukant Gupta confirmed that the CID Intelligence unit had been closely tracking espionage activities linked to Pakistani agencies.
Data retrieved from Yadav’s cellphone reportedly contains classified materials shared with the foreign operative.
Here's what investigation says
During surveillance, authorities found Vishal Yadav in regular contact with a female Pakistan intelligence handler who used the alias “Priya Sharma” on social media, according to officials. She allegedly paid Yadav in exchange for sensitive defence information of strategic importance, NDTV reported.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Yadav was addicted to online gaming and was motivated by financial desperation due to his gambling losses. He received payments both through cryptocurrency trading accounts and direct bank transfers, officials told NDTV.
Yadav is currently being interrogated by multiple intelligence agencies at the Central Interrogation Centre in Jaipur.
Following the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s retaliatory response through Operation Sindoor, Indian counter-intelligence agencies have ramped up their alert levels. In the past month alone, authorities have arrested multiple individuals across several states, including Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Punjab.
Among those arrested are two women with alleged links to a Pakistani intelligence officer. Jyoti Malhotra, a YouTuber from Haryana with 3.77 lakh subscribers on YouTube and 1.33 lakh followers on Instagram, and 31-year-old Guzala from Punjab, were in contact with Ehsan-ur-Rahim, also known as Danish, a Pakistani officer posted at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.
Indian armed forces carried out Operation Sindoor on 7 May after 26 people, mainly tourists, were killed in a terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22 April. The nine sites were targeted in a “focused, measured and non-escalatory” manner. On 10 May, India hit “precision strikes” at Pakistan air bases, namely Rafiqui, Murid, Nur Khan, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, Chunian, Pasrur and Sialkot as a result of Pakistan's shelling and attacks across the border areas in the country.
(With inputs from NDTV)
- Espionage cases continue to pose significant threats to national security.
- The use of technology in espionage, including mobile devices, can lead to serious breaches.
- Intelligence agencies are actively monitoring and responding to suspected espionage activities.
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