New Delhi— The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad has arrested a retired Army soldier and a woman for allegedly leaking sensitive information about military establishments to Pakistani intelligence handlers. Officials said both suspects were part of an organised espionage operation run from Pakistan using fake identities and online communication tools.
Investigators revealed that retired Subedar Ajaykumar Singh and a woman named Rashmani Pal were in regular contact with Pakistani agents. Singh, who retired in 2022 and was working at a Goa distillery, was approached by a handler posing as “Ankita Sharma.” She reportedly gained his trust and sought details about regiment movements and transfers of senior Army officers. Singh allegedly shared information through text messages, photos and videos. The agent also sent him a Trojan malware file, enabling remote access to his device.
Pal, originally from Uttar Pradesh and living in Daman, allegedly operated under the fake identity “Priya Thakur.” Officials said she was directed by handlers identified as Abdul Sattar and Khalid to befriend Army personnel and extract confidential information. She had received lists of mobile numbers and was attempting to honeytrap individuals for intelligence inputs related to military units, exercises and movements. She was also provided with payments through newly opened digital bank accounts.
The ATS recovered evidence that included WhatsApp calls from international numbers, documents and financial transactions from the phones of both accused. Officials said the handlers operated from Multan, Sargodha and Lahore and used VPNs and virtual foreign numbers to mask their identity. The arrests have exposed a larger network attempting to infiltrate India’s military systems through social engineering and digital surveillance tools.
