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Varanasi man arrested by UP ATS for allegedly spying for Pakistan, sharing sensitive data and spreading extremist propaganda via social media.
In a significant crackdown on espionage activities, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (UP ATS) on Thursday arrested a man from Varanasi for allegedly spying for Pakistan and sharing sensitive information with foreign operatives. The accused, identified as Tufail, is accused of disseminating strategic data and photographs of key Indian locations to individuals based in Pakistan.
According to officials, Tufail was reportedly in contact with nearly 600 Pakistani nationals. He is alleged to have shared images of high-security and strategic areas including Rajghat, Namo Ghat, Gyanvapi, the Varanasi railway station, and even the Red Fort in Delhi.
Investigations also revealed that Tufail was active in multiple WhatsApp groups, where he allegedly circulated videos of extremist leader Maulana Saad Rizvi of Tehreek-e-Labbaik. Authorities claim he used these platforms to propagate provocative messages, including calls for revenge over the Babri Masjid dispute and demands for the implementation of Sharia law.
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Tufail’s connections extended to a Pakistani woman named Nafisa, whose husband is reportedly a serving officer in the Pakistani Army. The accused is said to have acted as a digital conduit, circulating WhatsApp group links in Varanasi that facilitated communication between local contacts and Pakistani intelligence networks.
Tufail is among the several people who have been arrested from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh over the past two weeks on charges of espionage, with investigators suspecting the presence of a Pakistan-linked spy network operating in north India.
The crackdown on Pakistan's ‘spy’ network comes in the wake of the recent hostilities between the two neighbouring countries in the wake of Operation Sindoor, launched by India in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
