Chandigarh: In a major breakthrough, Punjab Police has arrested an Indian Army personnel and his associate on charges of espionage. The two accused—Gurpreet Singh, an army soldier posted in Jammu, and his accomplice Sahil Masih, were allegedly passing sensitive military information to Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence). The arrests were made just before the two could transfer classified data.
Both Accused Hail from Punjab
According to Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav, both Gurpreet Singh and Sahil Masih are residents of Dhariwal, Amritsar. Investigations revealed that Gurpreet Singh was directly in contact with ISI handlers, and was suspected of transferring confidential data through pen drives.
ISI Officer Rana Javed Named
DGP Yadav said the police had received credible inputs regarding an imminent information leak, following which a trap was laid and both accused were arrested. During interrogation, the name of Rana Javed, a senior ISI officer, surfaced. Police recovered two mobile phones containing virtual numbers used to communicate with ISI handlers.
Gurpreet’s Army Career and Role in Espionage
According to Amritsar Rural SSP Maninder Singh, Gurpreet Singh had joined the Indian Army in 2016. Using his official position, he allegedly gathered and leaked classified military information through discs and USB devices.
Dubai-Based Drug Trafficker Involved
The investigation also revealed that a Dubai-based drug trafficker named Arjan, also from Dhariwal, was instrumental in introducing Gurpreet to ISI agents about five months ago. A formal case has been registered at the Lopoke Police Station in Amritsar under the Official Secrets Act and various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Punjab Police is now probing the extent of information leak, the scale of damage to national security, and identifying other possible links in the espionage network.