LUCKNOW: In a major break through, the Anti-Terrorist Squad of the Uttar Pradesh police (UP ATS) arrested Satendra Siwal, an employee of the Indian Embassy in Moscow, in Lucknow on Sunday.
Siwal, son of Jaiveer Singh and a resident of Shahmahiuddinpur village in Hapur, was allegedly spying for Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI.
The UP ATS produced Siwal in the local court and he was sent into 14-day judicial remand.
As per the police sources, the ATS would move court to take Siwal’s remand on Monday. The UP ATS also recovered two mobile phones, an Aadhar Card, a PAN card, his identity card and Rs 600 in cash.
As per the ATS, Satendra Siwal was involved in anti-India activities and was passing on significant confidential information to his ISI handlers across the border in lure of lucre.
As per a statement issued by UP ATS, Satendra Siwal had been working at the Indian Embassy in Moscow since 2021. He has been engaged as the India-Based Multi-Tasking Staff at the Indian Embassy in Moscow.
The ATS claimed that it had the information from the secret sources and surveillance that some of the External Affairs ministry employees were being lured by the ISI handlers with money to disclose strategic information about India installations and other details thus posing a serious threat to India's security.
Satendra Siwal was one of the MEA staff who was in contact with ISI handlers, the UP ATS said citing their surveillance.
The ATS statement said that initially the Meerut field unit of UP ATS called Satendra Siwal for interrogation. During the grilling, Siwal was not able to answer the queries of ATS satisfactorily. On deeper questioning, he even admitted to having engaged in spying for the ISI.
Subsequently, the UP ATS team lodged an FIR against Siwal at Gomtinagar police station in Lucknow under Section 121 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) (waging war against the country) and 3/5/9 of Official Secret Act-1923, and arrested him.
In its statement, the ATS claimed that its electronic and physical surveillance found that Siwal was communicating with the network of the ISI handlers.
Information that he passed on was regarding the strategic activities of the defence ministry, the external affairs ministry and Indian military establishments. He was spying in exchange for money, the ATS revealed.