Jaipur: A resident of Alwar in Rajasthan has been arrested on charges of spying for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The arrest was made under the Official Secrets Act, 1923, following sustained surveillance and investigation by multiple intelligence agencies, officials said.
Mangat Singh was apparently in contact with his Pakistani handlers for nearly two years. It is believed that he was sharing sensitive military information, including details about the Alwar Army Cantonment and other strategic locations in the region, with the ISI. The area, being part of the National Capital Region (NCR), is considered highly sensitive from a defence and security standpoint.
Rajasthan Intelligence has been closely monitoring suspicious activities near strategic installations across the state after Operation Sindoor. During surveillance in the Alwar cantonment area, Singh’s movements were flagged as suspicious, prompting deeper investigation.
“Singh continued to share military information with his handlers up to the point of his arrest. He was in regular contact with two Pakistani numbers and had received large sums of money. We are now tracing the financial channels used for these transactions,” Rajesh Meel, DIG, Intelligence, said.
Initial probe revealed that Singh was honey-trapped by a female Pakistani operative who used the alias “Isha Sharma” on social media. Through emotional manipulation and financial inducement, the handler gained Singh’s trust and persuaded him to share confidential military information.
“Singh maintained contact with two Pakistani numbers – one linked to the honey-trap operation and the other directly connected to handlers based in Pakistan. Over the course of their interaction, Singh received substantial monetary transfers in exchange for the classified information,” an official said.
Singh was arrested on Friday after investigators conducted a thorough technical analysis of his mobile phone and digital communications. A case was registered at the Special Police Station in Jaipur under the Official Secrets Act, 1923, and he was taken into custody by CID Intelligence Rajasthan.
He is now being questioned at the Central Interrogation Centre in Jaipur, where intelligence officials say that several critical leads have emerged during questioning.
Preliminary findings indicate that Singh may have shared information not only about troop movements and cantonment layouts but also about wider strategic plans and infrastructure. Intelligence agencies are assessing the full extent of the data breach and whether any other individuals were involved in the espionage network.
“His activities posed a significant threat to national security. We are investigating the timeline, extent of data shared, and whether this was part of a larger spy ring operating in the region,” the official added.
Investigations are on to track any other possible links to espionage operations in the NCR and beyond.