JAIPUR: A soldier of the Indian Army posted in Rajasthan was on Tuesday arrested after he was allegedly honey-trapped by two women agents of the Pakistani intelligence agency, ISI, and provided them with sensitive information.
The Army jawan, Shantimoy Rana, was allegedly in touch with the women for the past two years after they befriended him on social media.
According to Director General Intelligence, Umesh Mishra, espionage activities for Pakistani intelligence agencies are constantly monitored under ‘Operation Sarhad’, and that is how information was received that Rana (24), a resident of Kanchanpur in Bankura, West Bengal, was in contact with Pakistani women spies. Rana was taken into custody on July 25 and arrested after interrogation.
Rana joined the Army in March 2018.
“During interrogation, he revealed that one of the Pakistani agents had told him that she was working in Military Engineering Services. The first woman had given her name as Gurnoor Kaur alias Ankita, a resident of Shahjahanpur in UP. The other agent approached him as Nisha and said she was working in the Military Nursing Service,” Additional Director General S. Sengathir said.
After honey-trapping him, they started asking for photographs of confidential documents related to the Army and videos of exercises through social media.
Sengathir added that photos of the two spies are not being made public.
According to sources, Rana came on the radar of intelligence officers about a year ago, and his activities began being monitored. His bank records of the last two-and-a-half years are being examined.
Assumed Indian names
Shantimoy Rana joined the Army in 2018.
“He said one of the Pakistani spies told him that she worked in Military Engineering Services. She gave her name as Gurnoor Kaur alias Ankita. The other spy approached him as Nisha,” ADG S. Sengathir said.