The Punjab Police on Tuesday arrested a man from Tarn Taran for allegedly spying for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and leaking information about Indian Army movements during Operation Sindoor, India’s military response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.
Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav identified the accused as Gagandeep Singh, alias Gagan, a resident of Mohalla Rodupur in Tarn Taran. He said Singh had shared classified details, including troop deployments and strategic locations, with ISI handlers, posing a serious threat to national security. “Acting swiftly on information from Counter-Intelligence Punjab, Tarn Taran Police arrested Gagandeep Singh in a joint operation,” Yadav posted on X. “The accused had been in contact with Pakistan’s ISI and Khalistani terrorist Gopal Singh Chawla, sharing sensitive Army movement information during Operation Sindoor,” the post said.
Phone data reveals ISI links
The police said Singh’s mobile phone contained evidence of his communications with over 20 ISI-linked contacts, including data on intelligence he had shared. Financial and technical investigations are underway to uncover the full scope of the espionage network.
The DGP alleged that Gopal Chawla, a pro-Khalistan extremist based in Pakistan, was actively involved in running a spy racket in India in collaboration with the ISI. Chawla is accused of directing espionage operations during Operation Sindoor.
Part of larger network across North India
Singh’s arrest is the latest in a string of espionage-related detentions in northern India since the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 people were killed by Pakistan-based terrorists. Over a dozen people have been arrested in the past two weeks from Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh as security agencies expand their crackdown on suspected spies.
The arrested include two women — Jyoti Malhotra, a Haryana resident and prominent social media influencer with over 3.7 lakh YouTube subscribers and 1.3 lakh Instagram followers, and Guzala, a 31-year-old woman from Punjab — as well as a CRPF personnel allegedly involved in leaking sensitive information.
Police say further arrests are likely as the investigation progresses.
