The Uttar Pradesh Police on Sunday arrested an employee of the Indian Embassy in Moscow for allegedly spying for Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
The accused, identified as Satendra Siwal, a resident of Shahmahiuddinpur village in Hapur district, was hired as a “Multi-Tasking Staff” in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and worked at the embassy in Moscow from 2021. The position is comparable to that of an office attendant or runner.
Also Read | 3 operatives of terror module with links to ISI arrested
The Uttar Pradesh Police’s Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) said in a statement that it arrested Siwal in Meerut, where he was questioned by officers, and confessed to the crime.
“The ATS received tip-off from confidential sources that ISI handlers were luring employees of the MEA with money to derive information about the Defence Ministry, MEA, Indian Army and Indian military installations, posing a huge threat to the internal and external security of India. After verifying the information through technical and physical surveillance, Satendra Siwal, an employee posted as IBSA (India based Security Assistant) at the Indian Embassy in Moscow was called for questioning to the ATS field unit in Meerut, where he failed to give satisfactory replies during interrogation and accepted his crime,” said the ATS statement.
Also Read | U.P. ATS arrests former contractual Army employee on espionage charges
A First Information Report (FIR) is registered against the accused at the ATS police station, Lucknow under sections 121 (A) of the Indian Penal Code and sections 3/5/9 of the Official Secrets Act-1923. Two mobile phones, one Aadhar, PAN card, identity card and Rs. 600 have also been recovered from the accused.
