CRPF jawan arrested by NIA on espionage charges was posted in Pahalgam till 5 days before attack
The Haryana resident was handed over to the NIA on 21 May—the same day when he was dismissed from the CRPF for violation of service laws.
Sources aware of the development said that Moti Ram Jat was posted with the 116th battalion of the paramilitary force deployed in Pahalgam. In fact, he was transferred 17 April just five days before terrorists struck at the tourist spot, they said.
New Delhi: An assistant sub inspector (ASI) of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on charge of sharing confidential information with Pakistani intelligence operatives was posted in the Pahalgam sub division of Anantnag, ThePrint has learnt.
Moti Ram is currently under 15-day custody of the NIA, which is also investigating the 22 April terror attack at the Baisaran Valley in Pahalgam. A group of foreign terrorists had killed 26 people, including one Nepali national, drawing widespread condemnation.
Around a fortnight later, India launched Operation Sindoor in the wee hours of 7 May, targeting infrastructures and camps linked to terrorist outfits such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), and Hizbul Mujahideen in Pakistan.
Moti Ram, according to sources in the security establishment, was questioned by senior officers of the CRPF over his suspicious social media activities. 'After thorough questioning by CRPF officers and central agencies, he was handed over to the NIA for investigation under relevant laws,' one of the sources told ThePrint.
'He has been arrested for indulging in espionage activity in passing sensitive info about intelligence inputs regarding operations conducted by security forces, location of security installations to Pakistani intelligence operatives in exchange for money,' the source said.
The arrest and dismissal of the CRPF ASI comes at a time when police across several states have intensified surveillance to nab suspects who shared confidential information with their Pakistan handlers in exchange of money and those who were working to spread Pakistan's propaganda around terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
A YouTuber, a security guard, a businessman, a student and an app developer are among those arrested in the past fortnight as police tighten the noose around such espionage cartels.
Earlier in the day, ThePrint reported that Moti Ram was in contact with Pakistani intelligence operatives for a long time and was sharing confidential information in exchange of money since 2023.
The accused was actively involved in espionage activity and had been sharing classified information related to national security with Pakistan intelligence operatives since 2023, according to an NIA spokesperson.
The dismissed ASI was found to have been receiving funds from Pakistan intelligence operatives through various conduits, the spokesperson said, adding that Moti Ram remains in NIA custody till 6 June.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Also Read: After arrests in Punjab & Haryana, UP man held for 'spying, giving money' to ISI agents in India
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