Ferozepur Couple Held for Alleged ISI Spying as IB Flags Fake-Officer Tacticਫਿਰੋਜ਼ਪੁਰ ਜੋੜਾ ਕਥਿਤ ਆਈਐਸਆਈ ਜਾਸੂਸੀ ਕੇਸ ਵਿੱਚ ਗ੍ਰਿਫ਼ਤਾਰ

Army Intelligence and Punjab Police have arrested a husband and wife from Kalu Wala village in Ferozepur district for allegedly spying for Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), in a joint operation reported by Dainik Jagran's Ferozepur correspondent on 23 October and by the IANS news agency on 24 October. Investigators say the couple, who live in a village close to the India-Pakistan border, passed on sensitive information about Army movements and deployments. A case has been registered under the Official Secrets Act, 1923, and their phones have been seized. The allegations are unproven, and the reports did not name the couple.

What are the couple accused of passing on?

According to sources familiar with the investigation quoted by Jagran, the couple sent details of Army movements, deployments and sensitive locations to handlers based in Pakistan and Malaysia. IANS, citing the investigation, reported that the material allegedly transmitted included maps of military locations, details of weapons and ammunition depots, cantonment areas, troop movements and information on military preparedness and security arrangements. Jagran also reported that the couple allegedly shared border surveillance information with Pakistan-based smugglers, and that examination of their seized phones found sensitive documents, with a forensic examination now under way.

Police impersonation and social media contact

Investigators say the woman allegedly posed as a police officer to mislead people and gain access to information. Both Jagran and IANS reported that she used social media platforms, including Instagram and Snapchat, to contact Army personnel, in what investigators describe as a suspected honey-trap attempt to draw personnel into relationships and extract confidential information. Her husband is accused of working with her in collecting and passing on the material. The reports did not name any Army personnel in connection with this case.

IB flags a new fake-officer tactic

The arrest prompted a wider warning from the Intelligence Bureau (IB), reported by IANS on 24 October. An IB official told the agency that while honey-trapping is a long-used ISI tactic, recruiters are now also forging communication channels that impersonate senior Army and police officers. Such channels are left silent for a period while they watch junior officers who might fall for them. A message carrying a severe sense of urgency is then sent, creating an artificial emergency. Caught up in that urgency, a junior officer may pass on information without checking whether the channel is genuine, the official said. Once the information is gathered, the forged channel is shut down.

A separate Punjab espionage case this month

This is the second espionage arrest reported from the Ferozepur border belt this month, and it is separate from the earlier one. On 11 October, Punjab Police's Counter Intelligence wing arrested Gurnoor Sidhu, a woman from Faridkot, near the Hussainiwala border road, and booked two serving Army personnel in that case, which Jugti reported separately. Police have not linked the two cases publicly.

What happens next?

The couple are being questioned, according to Jagran, and investigators are examining the seized phones for leads on handlers in Pakistan and Malaysia and on any wider network around Ferozepur. Ferozepur sits directly on the India-Pakistan border, and espionage and smuggling cases are reported from the district regularly. The charges remain allegations until proved in court.

Where were the couple arrested?

At Kalu Wala village in Ferozepur district, Punjab, close to the India-Pakistan border, in a joint operation by Army Intelligence and Punjab Police.

Under which law has the case been registered?

Under the Official Secrets Act, 1923. IANS reported the case was registered under Sections 3 and 4 of the Act, which deal with spying and wrongful communication of information.

What is the fake-officer tactic the IB flagged?

Forged communication channels impersonating senior Army and police officers are left silent, then used to send an urgent fake-emergency message so a junior officer shares information without verifying the source, an IB official told IANS.

Is this the same case as the Faridkot woman's arrest?

No. That was a separate case reported on 11 October, in which a Faridkot woman and two Army personnel were named. This case involves a married couple from Kalu Wala village.