Gujarat ATS busts spy network, arrests woman, ex-Army subedar for leaking information to Pakistan

The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has uncovered a Pakistan-backed espionage network operating across multiple states and arrested two individuals, including a retired Army Subedar from Goa, for allegedly leaking sensitive military information to Pakistani intelligence operatives posing as Indian women on social media.

The team relied on a combination of technical surveillance, human intelligence and financial tracking to detect suspicious communication between Indian nationals and Pakistani handlers.

Retired Army Subedar honey-trapped in 2022

Investigators found that Ajay Kumar Surendra Singh, a retired Army Subedar currently residing in Goa, came into contact with a Pakistani intelligence operative in 2022 during his posting in Dimapur. The operative impersonated an Indian woman named Ankita Sharma to establish contact.

The ATS said Ajay Kumar was lured into sharing confidential details related to Army postings, unit movements and officer transfers. He also received a Trojan malware file from the handler, allegedly designed to extract sensitive information directly from his mobile phone without requiring repeated communication.

Daman woman acted as key conduit for Pakistani handlers

Further investigation led the ATS to Rashmani Ravindra Pal, a resident of Dadra & Nagar Haveli, who allegedly served as an intermediary for Pakistan-based handlers identified as ‘Abdul Sattar’ and ‘Khalid’.

According to officials, Rashmani was instructed to create fake online identities — including one under the name ‘Priya Thakur’— to befriend Indian defence personnel and coax them into sharing restricted information. She was allegedly provided with lists of mobile numbers and assigned to target specific individuals.

Rashmani was reportedly in direct contact with Pakistan numbers, including those beginning with +92, and opened an Airtel Payments Bank account to receive money routed through various intermediaries.

Digital trail leads to Pakistan cities

Forensic examination of mobile phones seized during the operation revealed:

* WhatsApp calls from international numbers

* Financial transaction records

* Documents exchanged with suspected handlers

* IP logs indicating activity from Multan, Sargodha and Lahore

Officials said the online identities ‘Ankita Sharma’ and ‘Radhika’ were traced to Pakistan-based IP addresses, while ‘Khalid’ was found to be using a VPN and a Malaysian number to mask his location.

Case registered; wider network under probe

A case has been registered against both accused under Sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and the two were arrested on 3 December.

The ATS said the investigation is ongoing, and efforts are under way to identify and apprehend other individuals linked to the network.

Accused identified

- Ajay Kumar Surendra Singh (47), resident of Nuvem, Goa; originally from Baruna (Nikapur), Ara taluka, Bhojpur district, Bihar.

- Rashmani Ravindra Pal (35), resident of Dadra & Nagar Haveli; originally from Mithapur, Madiyahu, Jaunpur district, Uttar Pradesh.

Senior ATS officers said the arrests mark a significant breakthrough in dismantling a broader espionage operation aimed at collecting sensitive military inputs through social media manipulation and financial inducement.