CHANDIGARH: Punjab police on Tuesday busted a cross-border espionage network with the arrest of two Army personnel on charges of spying and providing over 900 classified documents to Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan.
Sepoy Harpreet Singh (23) hails from Cheecha village in Amritsar and was posted in Anantnag. He joined the Army in 2017 and belonged to 19 Rashtriya Rifles. Sepoy Gurbhej Singh (23), of Punian village in Tarn Taran, belonged to 18 Sikh Light Infantry and was working as a clerk in Kargil. He joined Army in 2015.
Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta said Jalandhar rural police, led by SSP Naveen Singla, while probing an NDPS case, recovered confidential documents related to the functioning and deployment of Indian Army from cross-border drug smuggler Ranvir Singh, arrested with 70g heroin on May 24. Ranvir disclosed he got these documents from Harpreet, a friend, as they both belong to the same village.
“Ranvir motivated and lured Harpreet with money for sharing defence-related classified documents, following which the latter induced his friend Sepoy Gurbhej in spying activities,” said Gupta. He said since Gurbhej was working as a clerk in 121 Infantry Brigade headquarters in Kargil, he had easy access to classified documents containing both strategic and tactical information Gupta said Ranvir used to send these documents to either Pakistan ISI operatives directly or via Gopi, identified as the main drug smuggler from in Dauke village Amritsar having links with Pakistan-based drug-smuggling syndicates and ISI officials. On Ranvir’s disclosures, police have arrested Gopi, who has confessed to having transferred classified documents to Pakistan-based drug smuggler, one of whom has been identified as Kothar, and an alleged Pak ISI operative identified as Sikander in lieu of heroin and money, said Gupta.
Police have added sections of IPC and Official Secrets Act naming both the Army personnel and Gopi in the FIR initially registered on May 24 under NDPS Act at Mehatpur police station in Jalandhar rural.
