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First Post
22-05-2025
- First Post
Love, Spying and Dhoka: Jyoti Malhotra and the history of honey-trapping
Honey traps, a long-standing espionage practice, are real. Ask the now-infamous YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who has been arrested for spying on India for Pakistan. She allegedly leaked sensitive information to Islamabad after she was honey-trapped by a Pakistani operative. But she isn't alone read more Famous Indian YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra has been arrested for 'spying' for Pakistan. Investigations show that she was honey-trapped by a Pakistani operative. Image Courtesy: X The Jyoti Malhotra 'spying' case continues to unravel day by day — each day new details emerge on how the YouTuber, who ran the channel 'Travel with JO', shared sensitive information, including details about blackouts imposed by India during 'Operation Sindoor' after reportedly being honey-trapped by a Pakistani official. This case has served as a chilling reminder of the past instances when Indians, including diplomats, army officials, and scientists have fallen victim to honey traps by spy agencies across the world. For instance, there's the infamous cases of Madhuri Gupta and Satendra Siwal. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD We take a closer look at some of these instances of honey traps and how they leaked sensitive information. Honey trapping, explained Before we deep dive into examples of Indians being honey-trapped, let's understand what this concept means. Honey trapping is a form of espionage in which an individual uses romantic or sexual relationships to manipulate, coerce, or blackmail information from a target. The term honey refers to the allure being used to entice the target. When an individual is being honey-trapped, the person carrying out the operation is often referred to as honeypot. They establish a relationship with the target and once trust is established, he/she gathers the information through manipulation, coercion, or force. Many note that famous writer John Le Carre, known for his bestseller Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, is said to have coined the term 'honeytrap' to describe this form of espionage. And through the years, men and women have perfected honey trapping but experts note none have done it as well as the Russians. In a Slate report, one former KGB agent said that the Soviet intelligence agency didn't ask Russian women to stand up for their country but 'asked them to lay down.' And one of the biggest Cold War spy cases was that of Clayton Lonetree, a Marine Corps security guard entrapped by a female Soviet officer, then blackmailed into sharing documents. In 1987, he became the first Marine convicted of espionage. When Madhuri Gupta was honey-trapped Before , there was the notorious case of Madhuri Gupta , a mid-level diplomat stationed in Islamabad, accused of secretly serving the interests of Pakistan's notorious Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). In 2010, she was arrested for passing on information. Investigations revealed that the Grade B Indian Foreign Service officer and Second Secretary (Press & Information) in Islamabad had been a victim of a honey trap. Investigating officer Pankaj Sood, speaking to The Caravan later, said, 'They threw a young man at her and she got trapped.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Madhuri Gupta was arrested on April 22, 2010. File image/PTI That young man was Jamshed, alias Jim, a Pakistani operative in his 30s, half her age, who had been tasked with seducing Gupta and extracting sensitive information. The probe revealed that Jamshed and his handler, Mudassar Raza Rana, first contacted Malhotra through a woman journalist and won her trust by helping her locate a rare book by Maulana Masood Azhar, chief of terror organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed. The investigation showed that Malhotra was so infatuated with Jim that she allegedly wanted to convert to Islam, and go on a trip to Istanbul with him. Eventually, she was arrested and in 2018, a court found her guilty and finally convicted her of spying for Pakistan. She lived in Bhiwadi, Rajasthan, awaiting her trial, and died in October 2021 at the age of 64. How honey-trapped Satendra Siwal 'spied' for Pakistan In February last year, an Indian embassy employee in Moscow, identified as Satendra Siwal , was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) for allegedly spying for Pakistan's intelligence agency. According to the ATS, Siwal, who was working as a security assistant in the embassy, had shared secret documents related to weapons systems of the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy, including warplanes and submarines. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But what led him to do this? Investigators revealed that he had been approached by a woman disguised as 'Pooja Mehra' on social media. She honey-trapped Siwal and persuaded him to leak confidential documents in return for financial gain. Following his confession, Siwal was charged under several provisions, including the Government Secrets Act of 1923. When UP man was lured by 'Neha' Earlier this year, Uttar Pradesh's ATS arrested a man employed at the ordnance factory in Firozabad on suspicion of spying for Pakistan. Identified as Ravindra Kumar, he allegedly shared confidential data, including information on the Gangayaan space project and the trial of a military logistics-delivery drone. Leaking this information was the result of a honey trap, say officials. Investigations revealed that a woman, posing as 'Neha Sharma', contacted him through Facebook last year. And despite revealing that she worked for Pakistan's intelligence agency, she managed to lure him into a honey trap. When Pakistan honey-trapped DRDO's Pradeep Kurulkar In May 2023, the Maharashtra Police arrested Pradeep Kurulkar , a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) scientist, for leaking confidential information to a Pakistani woman operative. The police chargesheet stated that Kurulkar shared information about sensitive defence projects in exchange of nude pictures and sexting. DRDO scientist Pradeep Kurulkar was arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad for allegedly sharing classified information with a Pakistani Intelligence Operative. File image/DRDO Kurulkar, who was a member of several strategically-significant defence projects including the Agni missiles, was in touch with the Pakistani operative between June 2022 and December 2022 through email, Instagram and video calls using two applications suggested by the woman, The Indian Express reported. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He is now in judicial custody and lodged at Pune's Yerwada Central Prison. Ex-BrahMos engineer Nishant Agarwal's case Last June, former BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd engineer Nishant Agarwal was handed a life imprisonment term for spying for Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI. The punishment comes after he was arrested in 2018 for spying. Formerly working at the BrahMos facility, Agarwal leaked sensitive information to the ISI. Investigations then revealed that he had been honey-trapped. The anti-terrorism squad came across Facebook accounts with names Neha Sharma and Pooja Ranjan – suspected to be operated by Pakistani intelligence agents – that were in touch with Aggarwal. The case of R&AW's KV Unnikrishnan But it's not just scientists and diplomats who have been honey-trapped. Serving military personnel and spies have also fallen for the allure of a honeypot. And no case is as famous as that of KV Unnikrishnan, a Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) officer. The 47-year-old deputy inspector general in charge of the R&AW mission in Madras (now Chennai) was allegedly honey-trapped in the 1980s, by a woman suspected of being a CIA (Central Intelligence Agency, the foreign intelligence agency of the United States. She had presented herself to the Indian spy as a stewardess for American airlines, Pan Am Airlines. The CIA threatened to reveal Unnikrishnan's compromising photographs with the airhostess to glean information on R&AW training and arming Tamil groups, including the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Indian government's negotiating positions on the peace accord with Sri Lanka. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Later, Unnikrishnan confessed to high treason. He was kept under preventive detention at Tihar Jail for a year and then dismissed from service. 'We didn't have any evidence that would stand in a court of law,' a former R&AW chief told India Today. In 2013, it was reported that Unnikrishnan settled in Chennai and lives a peaceful and non-dramatic life. With inputs from agencies
Hindustan Times
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Who was Madhuri Gupta, ex-diplomat turned Pakistani spy?
While 'travel YouTuber' Jyoti Malhotra's involvement with Pakistani intelligence operatives has shocked the country, a similar case made waves in 2010 when former diplomat Madhuri Gupta turned spy for Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI. In 2010, junior Indian diplomat Madhuri Gupta, who had served at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, was arrested in New Delhi on charges of spying for Pakistan's ISI. Also Read: Jyoti Malhotra asked official to get her married in Pakistan: Report Later, in 2018, she was sentenced to three years in jail for passing on sensitive information to Pakistan's spy agency. 1. Madhuri Gupta, had worked as an assistant director of the Indian Council of World Affairs from 2006-2007 and later as the press and information secretary of India's High Commission in Islamabad. She had been suspected of passing on sensitive information to Pakistani officials since 2008. 2. At 66 years old, in 2018, Gupta was held guilty under various provisions of the Official Secrets Act for maintaining unauthorised contact with Pakistani intelligence operatives Mubshar Raza Rana and Jamshed. Also Read: Jyoti Malhotra confesses to being in touch with Pak official before Pahalgam attack: Cops 3. She was accused of passing on key information personally as well as through her email account to ISI handlers from October 2009 to April 2010. In one email, she had promised to collect information on a hydroelectric project in Jammu and Kashmir, which would have had grave consequences for national security. 4. Gupta was allegedly keen to cross over to Pakistan and was skilled in Urdu, reported IANS citing sources. Investigating officer Pankaj Sood told the Caravan in 2012, that she had been 'trapped' by a young Pakistani operative and had expressed desire to marry him. 5. A Delhi court had observed during her sentencing, as quoted by PTI, 'It is seen that the accused was unable to give such information but her intention of passing on such information and her going to Jammu after giving the false excuse of attending marriage points out her intention of helping the enemy country." 6. Gupta died in 2021 in Bhiwandi, Rajasthan. She had denied all claims against her throughout her trial and claimed that she was being falsely implicated by senior officials. (with inputs from PTI)
Hindustan Times
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
‘Seduction and secrets': How diplomat Madhuri Gupta fell for Pakistan ISI's honeytrap
More than a decade before Haryana-based YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra's arrest for allegedly leaking military secrets to Pakistan, India was shaken by a similar breach from within diplomatic ranks. During her posting in Islamabad in 2010, Madhuri Gupta, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, was arrested for passing classified secrets to Pakistan's ISI, triggering a major espionage case. Amid intense tensions between India and Pakistan in the backdrop of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, Indian intelligence agencies in early 2010 received alarming signals of a possible mole within the High Commission in Islamabad, NDTV reported. The alerts prompted the then Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief Rajiv Mathur to initiate a quiet but decisive counter-intelligence operation, one that would soon zero in on an unlikely suspect, Madhuri Gupta. How intelligence agencies uncovered Madhuri Gupta's Double Life At the time, Gupta held the position of second secretary (press and information) and was better known for her command of Urdu, deep appreciation of Sufi poetry, and intellectual pursuits. But the intelligence trail, built through methodical surveillance, began to unravel a far more troubling reality. Rather than move in immediately, intelligence officials opted for patience and precision. Once suspicions around Madhuri Gupta solidified, the Intelligence Bureau coordinated closely with the chiefs of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), KC Verma, and Home Secretary GK Pillai. It was agreed that surveillance would continue for another fortnight, the report added. During this period, Gupta was subtly fed false information, details designed to track any leaks. When that fabricated intelligence resurfaced through suspected ISI channels, investigators had the confirmation they needed: Gupta was relaying sensitive material to a foreign adversary. Still unaware that a net was closing in around her, Gupta was summoned to Delhi on the pretext of assisting with media preparations for the upcoming SAARC Summit. She reached the capital on 21 April 2010 and reported to the ministry of external affairs the next morning. When Madhuri Gupta arrived at the ministry of external affairs in South Block, Delhi Police' special cell, already informed, quickly moved in. She was arrested within minutes for leaking classified defence information to Pakistan's ISI. Gupta was arrested on 22 April 2010 under the Official Secrets Act. Investigators said she had revealed the identities of Indian intelligence officials posted in Pakistan. Madhuri Gupta's downfall came through a carefully planned honeytrap. Investigators found that a much younger Pakistani agent was sent to seduce her, gaining her trust and extracting sensitive information, which ultimately led to her betrayal. The agent, Jamshed also known as Jim was in his 30s, half her age, tasked with seducing Gupta and extracting sensitive information. The operation was overseen by Mudassar Raza Rana, who knew Pakistan's then interior minister personally. They reached out to Gupta through a female journalist and built her trust by helping her track down a rare book by Maulana Masood Azhar, the leader of Jaish-e-Mohammed. Gupta maintained regular contact with both men using a computer at her Islamabad home and a Blackberry phone. Investigations showed she had become infatuated with Jamshed, expressing wishes to convert to Islam, marry him, and move to Istanbul. Her messages frequently touched on themes of Sufism, Rumi, and Urdu, passions that Jamshed deliberately took advantage of. After being found guilty of spying for Pakistan in 2018, she lived in Bhiwadi, Rajasthan, awaiting the verdict of her appeal. She passed away in October 2021 at the age of 64, with her appeal still pending before the Delhi High Court, the report added.
Mint
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Mint
15 years before Jyoti Malhotra, an Indian diplomat had turned ‘spy' for Pakistan. Here's her story
The arrest of YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra for allegedly sharing sensitive military information with Pakistan has brought back in focus a similar case involving another woman, a foreign service officer. In 2010, Madhuri Gupta, an Indian diplomat serving in Pakistan at the time, was arrested for spying for Pakistan. The investigation found that she was honey-trapped by Pakistan-based intelligence operatives while she was posted in the country. Falling in love with Pakistani spy cost Madhuri Gupta reputation, career and a three-year jail term. Jyoti Malhotra allegedly used her digital platform to funnel sensitive information to Pakistan's ISI. But Madhuri Gupta was not a YouTuber but a diplomat posted as the Second Secretary (Press and Information) at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. Gupta leaked classified information, a revelation that stunned Indian intelligence. Her espionage came to the fore in 2010, when she was arrested under the Official Secrets Act by Delhi Police's Special Branch. Gupta studied at Jawaharlal Nehru University before cracking the coveted UPSC examination. She had served in various missions for India, including ones in Iraq, Liberia, Malaysia, and Croatia. She was posted in Islamabad in 2007. In Islamabad, Gupta. well versed in Urdu and with a deep interest in Sufism and poetry, came in touch with Jamshed, known in social circles as 'Jim', by a Pakistani journalist. The two spoke about a book authored by Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar. Soon, the acquaintance turned into a romantic relationship. Gupta, then 52 fell for the 30-year-old ISI operative. Intelligence agencies later revealed that Gupta's dissatisfaction with government of India over denial of leave and delayed salary, made her emotionally vulnerable. Soon, Jamshed, along with another ISI handler named Mudassar Raza Rana, started influencing her into betraying her country. As reported by media, Gupta supplied ISI with highly classified information related to the Indian Army, RAW operations, Indo-US intelligence exchanges, and even the investigation into the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. By late 2009, Indian intelligence agencies had already begun suspecting that a mole was operating out of the Islamabad High Commission. Gupta's digital footprint, monitored emails, and suspicious movements led investigators to her. According to officials, once their fears were confirmed, the government called Gupta to India on the pretext of handling media relations for the SAARC Summit, scheduled to take place later that year in Bhutan. She came to India on 21 April, 2010, spent a night at home, and was arrested by Delhi Police the next morning. She was released on bail two years later. In their chargesheet, Delhi Police accused Gupta of leaking sensitive information to Pakistani officials and remaining in touch with two ISI officials — Jamshed, her handler, and Mubshar Raza Rana. They said Gupta was an asset to her handlers, and cited love as her motivation. Her espionage came to the fore in 2010, when she was arrested under the Official Secrets Act by Delhi Police's Special Branch. Once in custody, she began to confess – initially claiming revenge as her motive, later revealing the role of emotional coercion and blackmail. Gupta had not only leaked confidential memos and defence plans but had also exposed the identities and login credentials of Indian intelligence officers, news reports said then. In 2018, a Delhi court convicted Madhuri Gupta under Sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act.
India.com
21-05-2025
- Politics
- India.com
More dangerous than Jyoti Malhotra, how Madhuri Gupta, an Indian diplomat, ex-IFS officer, fell in love with a Pakistani man and..., she died after...
More dangerous than Jyoti Malhotra, how Madhuri Gupta, an Indian diplomat, ex-IFS officer, fell in love with Pakistani man and..., she died after... Recently, India was shaken by the arrest of Jyoti Malhotra, also known as Jyoti Rani, for allegedly spying for Pakistan and leaking sensitive military information. This incident brings back memories of a similar and shocking case from the past that of Madhuri Gupta, a senior Indian diplomat who was caught spying for Pakistan. Madhuri Gupta was a career diplomat, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer posted as the Second Secretary (Press and Information) at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. Her main job was to analyze local media and report back to New Delhi. With 27 years of service to the country, no one could have imagined that she would one day be accused of betraying her nation. The truth came out about a year and a half after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Rajiv Mathur, who was the Director of the Intelligence Bureau at the time, received alarming information that someone in the Indian Embassy in Islamabad was leaking critical secrets to Pakistan's intelligence agency, the ISI. Investigations revealed that the person in question was none other than Madhuri Gupta. In early 2010, Indian intelligence agencies began closely monitoring her activities. To confirm their suspicions, they set up a covert operation where they deliberately fed her false information which she passed on, confirming her betrayal. But why did Madhuri take such a drastic step? According to investigators, she did it for love. Madhuri had fallen for a Pakistani man named Jamshed, or 'Jim' as she called him. What she didn't know, or perhaps ignored, was that Jim was actually working for Pakistan's spy agency, ISI. While she was emotionally involved, he was using their relationship to extract sensitive information from her. They concluded she was a victim of a honeytrap. 'They threw a young man at her and she got trapped,' said investigating officer Pankaj Sood, speaking to The Caravan. Madhuri didn't just leak confidential documents she reportedly shared the names and email passwords of Indian intelligence officers working in Pakistan. Once enough evidence had been collected, officials called her back to Delhi under the pretext of preparing for a SAARC summit. There, she was detained and formally questioned. She was arrested on April 22, 2010, under the Official Secrets Act. The court later stated that the information she passed on could have been extremely useful to India's enemy. She was found guilty of leaking critical foreign policy details to Pakistan. Madhuri Gupta was first charged in 2012 under Sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act, which carried a maximum sentence of 14 years. Initially, she spent 21 months in Tihar Jail before securing bail. In 2018, a city court found her guilty and finally convicted her of spying for Pakistan. Madhuri Gupta passed away in 2021 at the age of 64. An alumnus of Jawaharlal Nehru University and a successful UPSC candidate, Gupta had served in various missions for India, including ones in Iraq, Liberia, Malaysia, and Croatia. Her posting to Islamabad in 2007 was, in part, due to her fluency in Urdu, crucial for monitoring Pakistani media.
