New Delhi: A major espionage racket has been unearthed by central agency sleuths probing the role of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) assistant sub-inspector Moti Ram Jat who was arrested from Delhi on May 27 by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The NIA was handed over the case after preliminary findings indicated that Jat was allegedly leaking sensitive information to Pakistani handlers.
He had been serving with a CRPF battalion in Pahalgam before being transferred to Delhi, just five days prior to the April 22 terror attack in which 26 civilians lost their lives. Investigators believe his role in leaking classified material could have compromised security operations in sensitive areas.
“It now seems that Jat was not the only individual in contact with Pakistani intelligence Operatives or PIOs. Technical surveillance revealed that the handler, codenamed Salim Ahmed, maintained links with at least 15 other Indian phone numbers. These included four belonging to Army personnel, four more linked to other paramilitary forces, and seven connected with central government staffers,” an official said.
Call detail records and internet protocol logs are now being scanned to determine the extent of the breach. Officials caution that the scope of the espionage may stretch well beyond Jat’s individual involvement.
“The SIM card used to contact Jat was procured in Kolkata by a man who had close ties to Pakistan. The individual had married a Pakistani national in 2007 and moved permanently to Pakistan in 2014. Despite shifting there, he frequently travelled to Kolkata, reportedly to assist in maintaining cross-border links,” the official said.
It has also come to light that funds paid to Jat for sharing documents were deposited across multiple Indian states, including Delhi, Maharashtra, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Assam and West Bengal. Payments were relatively modest up to Rs 12,000 at a time but consistent, suggesting a carefully disguised channel of remuneration designed to avoid immediate detection. Larger amounts could have led to suspicion.
Shahzad, one of those who paid Jat was arrested in May by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). He is accused of passing classified information to the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) while also engaging in cross-border smuggling of goods such as clothes, spices and cosmetics.
Shahzad allegedly transferred Rs 3,500 to Jat on the instructions of a co-passenger on a Punjab-Delhi train. He later claimed he had been asked to carry out the transaction as a favour, and was given equivalent cash for the purpose.
“It now seems that Jat first came into contact with PiOs through what appears to have been a honeytrap scheme. He was initially approached by a woman posing as a journalist for a Chandigarh-based television channel. The exchanges reportedly included phone and video calls, through which trust was cultivated before Jat began supplying her with documents,” the official added.
A male PIO took over the operation after a few months, fter some months, a male operative, allegedly a Pakistani official, took over the interaction, posing as a fellow journalist. Jat allegedly continued to share multiple classified documents, including details of troop movements, reports from multi-agency centres posted on official WhatsApp groups, and updates on counter-terror operations.
Jat’s case has shaken up the security establishment in the country. That a serving CRPF officer allegedly passed on sensitive operational data in exchange for modest sums has underlined the risks posed by infiltration attempts through financial inducements, social engineering and honeytraps.
Further arrests in this case are likely as those in touch with Salim Ahmed are probed further and call records and financial trails are examined.
