2 defence personnel under scanner for allegedly passing information to ISI through Facebook

Two defence personnel, based in Kanpur and Agra, are on the radar of UP anti-terrorism squad (ATS) for allegedly passing on vital information to Pakistan’s intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

A police officer privy to the investigations said the UP ATS was scanning the Facebook chats of the duo with suspected ISI agents.

“Their activities are under surveillance. They will be taken into custody once the ATS collects incriminating evidence against them,” he added.

In a joint operation on Monday, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh ATS arrested Nishant Agarwal, 28, a mechanical engineer working with the BrahMos Missile Research Centre at Nagpur on charges of spying for ISI.

A senior police officer, who did not wish to be named, said the ISI was using fake Facebook profiles to honey-trap defence personnel and influential civilians to collect sensitive information about defence and government activities.

“ISI agents are posing as girls to trap defence personnel,” he added.

Sounding an alert, inspector general (UP ATS) Asim Arun said people should be careful while making friends on social sites.

“The ATS has found that ISI agents are using fake IDs to pose as girls and honey-trap defence personnel. If some one finds that he has been honey-trapped, he should immediately contact the ATS and share the information,” he said.

On September 29, ATS had nabbed a BSF jawan Achyutanand Mishra in Noida on charges of sharing crucial information about armed forces and movement of troops with a Facebook friend. He also had a chat with a woman on WhatsApp who used a mobile number registered in Pakistan.

Another senior police officer said the BSF jawan was honey-trapped through a fake Facebook profile of a woman, who had introduced herself as a defence reporter and talked to him for hours.

Arun said the ATS grilled the jawan to collect details that he had shared with the woman.

Meanwhile, the ATS raided the residence and office of Nishant Agarwal in Nagpur and found that he possessed sensitive documents. His computer, laptop and mobile phone were seized to find out the information that he had shared with ISI agents and if he received money in return.

During interrogation, he informed the police about a laptop at his ancestral home in Roorkee where raids were later conducted with the assistance of Uttarakhand police.

Agarwal told the police that he was in contact with a Facebook user for the last two years and was offered a high-profile job as well.

Police said he was honey-trapped through two fake Facebook IDs and both the profiles were being run by ISI agents.

UP ATS will move a petition in Nagpur court on Tuesday to take Agarwal on transit remand after which he will be brought to Lucknow for further investigation.

First Published: Oct 09, 2018 11:14 IST