Firozabad man ‘leaks’ sensitive info to ISI, arrested

An employee of an ordnance factory in Firozabad was on Friday arrested for espionage after he allegedly leaked classified information to Pakistani intelligence agency ISI, Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) said.

The said employee, Ravindra Kumar, 45, was honey-trapped by ISI handler ‘Neha Pandey’, and he shared information concerning the factory with her through Facebook and WhatsApp, the agency said.

Kumar was called for interrogation at the ATS headquarters in Lucknow on Thursday night and arrested on Friday.

In a note to the media, ATS said the accused was arrested under the charges of Section 148 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The section addresses conspiracy to commit offenses punishable under Section 147, which deals with waging or attempting to wage war against the Government of India or abetting such actions. Charges under appropriate sections of the Official Secrets Act, 1923, were also slapped on him.

The ATS said Kumar had been employed at the Hazratpur factory of Firozabad since 2006 and was posted as chargeman since 2009. Kumar was allegedly honey-trapped by the ISI handler in June 2024. “The woman first interacted with the accused through Facebook and later started chatting with him on WhatsApp. She convinced him to share crucial information by blackmailing him as well as luring him with money,” he stated.

An ATS official said five such documents had been shared with the ISI handler, with whom Kumar was chatting since the past 9-10 months.