Unmasking India's Spy Scandals Linked To Pakistan
In the wake of the devastating Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians on April 22, 2025, Indian security agencies have ramped up efforts to dismantle espionage networks linked to Pakistan, resulting in the arrest of 11 individuals, including travel vlogger Jyoti Malhotra. This nationwide operation has exposed a series of high-profile spy scandals involving Indian nationals, from YouTubers to diplomats, who allegedly leaked sensitive information to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), often through honey-trap schemes.
Jyoti Malhotra, a 33-year-old Haryana-based vlogger running the YouTube channel "Travel with Jo," was arrested on May 16, 2025, for suspected ISI espionage. Her frequent trips to Pakistan in 2023, 2024, and March 2025, along with her connections to a Pakistani High Commission official named Danish, are under scrutiny. Authorities suspect she was honey-trapped and motivated by views and financial gains, as her travel expenses exceeded her known income.
Satendra Siwal, an Indian Embassy staff member in Moscow since 2021, was arrested in February 2024 by the Uttar Pradesh ATS for leaking classified Indian Air Force and Navy documents. Honey-trapped via social media by a woman posing as 'Pooja Mehra,' Siwal was charged under the Government Secrets Act of 1923. Similarly, DRDO scientist Pradeep Kurulkar was arrested in May 2023 for sharing sensitive information with a Pakistani operative via WhatsApp, leading to his dismissal and ongoing judicial custody in Pune.
BrahMos engineer Nishant Agrawal, arrested in 2018, was sentenced to life imprisonment in June 2024 for leaking missile-related secrets to the ISI after being honey-trapped online. Indian Foreign Service officer Madhuri Gupta, stationed in Islamabad, was arrested in 2010 for passing information to ISI officials. Convicted in 2018, she received a three-year sentence but maintained her innocence until her death in 2021. Additionally, a 1990s case involved an Indian naval attaché in Islamabad who was blackmailed by the ISI through a romantic liaison, forcing his resignation after returning to Delhi. These cases highlight the persistent threat of espionage targeting India's sensitive sectors.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
17 minutes ago
- India.com
Indian Defence Planners, Take Note! Ukraine Now Using Rifle-Wielding Robots To Battle Russia
New Delhi: While most armies are still figuring out how to use drones effectively, Ukraine has already moved to the next frontier – remote-controlled ground robots that carry rifles, hurl grenades and take the fight to Russian trenches without risking a single soldier's life. In what sounds straight out of a sci-fi thriller, Ukrainian soldiers are now deploying weaponised robots in combat zones to take on Russian forces head-on. These are not the humanoid machines of Hollywood dreams, but something far more practical and real. Mounted on wheels or tracks, some look like tripods with guns, while others are miniature tanks with automated grenade launchers strapped to their backs. Oleksandr Yabchanka, the head of robotic systems for Ukraine's Da Vinci Wolves Battalion, called the tech a 'game changer' for soldiers in the field. Business Insider has quoted him as saying that even the bravest infantry cannot keep firing under intense shelling but these robots can. Indian defence planners, take note. While India debates the use of quadcopters and kamikaze drones, Ukraine has leapt ahead – fielding an evolving arsenal of ground-based killer bots. And they are not prototypes sitting in hangars, these machines are being tested, refined and modified live on the battlefield. Yabchanka draws a wild comparison that makes the tech sound even more insane. He likens Ukraine's grenade-launching bots to the iconic weapon wielded by Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, saying, 'They are somewhat similar, but slightly better.' One such killer bot is the Burya – a remote grenade-launching turret that can be mounted on a tripod or a small vehicle. Another recent addition is the D-21-12R, an indigenous robotic beast equipped with a US-made Browning .50 caliber machine gun. Approved in April by Ukraine's defence ministry, this machine could give nightmares to any enemy squad. But there is a catch. These war machines still face technical limitations. Russian jamming and direct hits can knock them offline – turning them into nothing more than expensive scrap metal. That is one reason why they have not so far been deployed in large numbers, though their battlefield effectiveness continues to improve. Lessons for India Ukraine's wartime innovation lab is like no other. Companies from Ukraine, Estonia and beyond are in a technological race to outsmart Russian forces. Estonian firm Milrem Robotics, for instance, has already supplied its THeMIS Unmanned Ground Vehicles to Ukraine. These rugged bots can haul supplies or launch attacks where human soldiers cannot go. Back home, this is a wake-up call. With India facing regular border stand-offs, especially with Pakistan and China, and gearing up for future conflicts in extreme terrains, why are not ground robots part of the military doctrine yet? Ukraine's battlefield data, gathered in real-time, proves that these robots are not sci-fi, they are survival tech. Yabchanka, who regularly liaises with developers from the frontlines, says the feedback loop between soldiers and engineers has become a major strength for Ukraine. 'What was relevant six months ago is already outdated,' he told the publication, stressing that Europe and the West must co-develop with Ukraine. As Ukraine continues to weaponise AI and automation, the question is no longer if but when countries like India will follow suit. Will Indian troops someday be supported by robotic gun crews on the icy heights of Ladakh or the dense jungles of the Northeast? If the Ukraine war is any indication, the next battle will not only be fought with muscle but with machines as well. And they have already started pulling the trigger.
The Hindu
18 minutes ago
- The Hindu
The unknown men who became unforgettable
When illegal immigration began dominating the headlines recently, I remembered two people from my earlier reporting assignments — C. Ibrahim and Moidu Kizhisseri. When he was 22 years old, Ibrahim, who hailed from Vadakara in Kerala's Kozhikode district, boarded a ship to the Gulf, which landed up in Pakistan. He lived there for nine years and managed to secure a Pakistani passport. He returned to India in 1998 and married a woman called Nabeesu. By the time the police found out that he was not a valid resident, the couple had had two daughters. In 2003, Ibrahim was to be deported to Pakistan following a judicial ruling that he was not an Indian citizen. But he was turned back from the Attari-Wagah Border as he did not have the documents to prove that he was a Pakistani national. I met Ibrahim when he arrived at the Kozhikode railway station from the border. He told me that his family was in Kozhikode and his roots were in Malabar. He pleaded that he was not a Pakistani spy. Kerala was home to about 365 foreign nationals, most of them from Pakistan. Several of these long-term Indian residents had been issued deportation orders to Pakistan. Some had secured stays on their deportation, while others fought marathon legal battles to acquire Indian citizenship. Many others died. Ibrahim was remanded in judicial custody. Subsequently, a local court granted him conditional bail, asking him to report daily to the local police station and sign the official register. These restrictions were gradually eased, first to weekly and then monthly appearances. In May 2012, the Judicial First-Class Magistrate Court of Vadakara declared Ibrahim to be an Indian citizen. Ibrahim passed away in 2016 at the age of 68. Moidu Kizhisseri of Kondotty in Malappuram district was more like Phileas Fogg from Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days. He left Kerala as a teenager and travelled around the world for 30 years before returning home. I recall interviewing him in 2005 about his exploits across three continents. Driven by abject poverty, Moidu had boarded a train for the Hazrat Nizamuddin station in Delhi from the Kozhikode railway station during the Emergency in 1975. He was just 17. He crossed the border into Pakistan only to find himself in a military encampment. He was released. Undeterred, Moidu tried again to cross the border in 1977. He was captured and detained in a Pakistan jail. Subsequently, he escaped to Lahore and worked on a farm for a year. From there, he crossed the Balochistan desert into Kabul in 1978. He travelled to Tajikistan and Kazakhstan before returning to Pakistan in 1979. He was back in the hands of the police. Mistaking him for an Iranian, a Pakistani court ordered his deportation to Iran, which was embroiled in civil war. Compelled by the Iranians to fight against the Iraqis, Moidu was captured by the Iraqi army. He was released after providing intelligence about the Iranian forces. Moidu escaped from Iran and went to Turkey, where he enrolled in a local institute to study language and history. His adventurous spirit later led him to Russia, Chechnya, Georgia, Sudan, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Bulgaria — all without a passport and visas. Finally, from Pakistan he crossed the border into Amritsar and arrived in Kozhikode on January 1, 2004. Not only did he live to tell his tale, but he also managed to learn at least seven foreign languages and publish three books about his adventures. To support his renal treatment, Moidu was forced to donate a large collection of the artefacts that he had gathered during his travels, to the Historical and Cultural Museum at the Moinkutty Vaidyaar Mappilakala Academy at Kondotty. He passed away in Kozhikode in November 2020. Journalism is history written against the clock. But some stories break away from time and linger forever in our memories.
Hans India
43 minutes ago
- Hans India
RCB Victory Parade Stampede Causes Internet Storm
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government's celebratory zeal turned into a tragic nightmare as a stampede during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) IPL 2025 victory parade claimed 11 lives and injured 33 others near M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The Congress-led administration, under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, is now under intense scrutiny for its alleged insensitivity and negligence, with netizens and opposition leaders alike slamming the government for prioritising political mileage over public safety. The incident has sparked widespread outrage, with many holding the government directly responsible for the preventable tragedy. RCB's first IPL title win in 18 years was a historic moment for fans, culminating in a victory over Punjab Kings by 6 runs on June 3. The Karnataka government which was seen eager to bask in the glory of Bengaluru's triumph, rushed to organise a victory parade within 12 hours of the win. It is a stark contrast to other IPL teams like KKR, MI, and CSK, which held their parades 2-3 days later with proper planning, and the Indian T20 World Cup team, which waited 5 days. The parade, which began at Vidhana Soudha and was meant to culminate at Chinnaswamy Stadium, drew an estimated 2-3 lakh fans, far exceeding the stadium's capacity of 35,000. The situation spiralled out of control when a small gate at the stadium was breached, leading to a deadly stampede. The outrage on social media has been palpable, with netizens demanding accountability from the Congress government. The opposition BJP has also seized the opportunity to criticise the government, with leaders like Amit Malviya labeling the incident as a result of "lack of basic administrative foresight" and Chalavadi Narayanaswamy calling it "unforgivable." The government's response has done little to quell public anger. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced Rs. 10 lakh compensation for the families of the deceased and ordered a magisterial inquiry, but his statement, "Over two to three lakh people gathered. No one expected such a crowd," has been met with disbelief. Critics argue that such a turnout was entirely predictable given RCB's massive fanbase and the significance of the win. Deputy CM DK Shivakumar apologised for the overcrowding and cancelled the procession, but his earlier presence at the airport to greet the players has been cited as evidence of the government's attempt to politicise the event. The RCB victory parade stampede has exposed deep flaws in the Karnataka government's approach to public safety, with netizens and opposition leaders united in their demand for justice. The 11 lives lost and 33 injuries sustained are not seen as mere statistics but is a stark reminder of the cost of political insensitivity. For RCB fans, what should have been a moment of triumph has been overshadowed by tragedy, leaving a bitter taste in the wake of their long-awaited victory. The Congress-led Karnataka government now faces a reckoning, as Bengaluru mourns and the nation watches, demanding that such a preventable disaster never happens again.
