Itanagar: Two men from Jammu and Kashmir were arrested in Arunachal Pradesh on espionage charges, police said Thursday.
Those arrested were identified as Nazir Ahmad Malik and Sabir Ahmed Mir, both natives of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district, they said.
On the basis of intelligence inputs, Nazir was arrested from a rented house in Ganga village in the Chimpu police station area of Itanagar November 22, they added.
During interrogation, Nazir admitted to sharing deployment details of the Army and paramilitary forces and information on military installations to Pakistani handlers through Telegram, police claimed.
He also disclosed receiving instructions to place explosives and carry out arson, targeting security establishments, they claimed.
Two mobile phones seized from him contained digital traces linking him to a Telegram channel named Al AQSA, which the police described as a conduit for transmitting security-related information.
Based on information provided by Nazir, the investigators arrested Sabir from Abotani Colony here, police said.
Sabir was instructed to facilitate the illegal entry of Pakistani nationals into India and act as an arms courier, they alleged.
Both the men, who run small businesses here, are in judicial custody, police said.
An officer stated that Nazir’s presence in Arunachal Pradesh suggests a larger plan to activate operatives in the region.
A case has been registered under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Official Secrets Act, and the Arunachal Pradesh Act. A detailed investigation is underway to identify the wider network, its linkages, and the objectives behind the operation, he said.
Inspector General of Police (Law & Order) Chukhu Apa confirmed the arrests but declined to divulge details, citing the sensitivity of the case.
This is a developing case. We are working on it, and a lot remains to be done. We will soon give an official statement. Whatever information is in the press is not the official version of the state police, he said.
