Uttar Pradesh: Moscow Indian Embassy employee arrested on charges of spying for ISI

Lucknow: An employee of the Indian Embassy in Moscow has been arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Anti Terror Squad (UPATS) from Meerut district here in Uttar Pradesh on charges of spying for Pakistani intelligence agency ISI, an official said here on Sunday.

The employee Satendra Siwal was allegedly passing confidential information related to Indian Defence System to the handlers of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency, the UPATS spokesman said.

The spokesman said the accused is working in the Indian Embassy at Moscow in Russia as India Based Security Assistant (IBSA) since 2021.

He said that the ATS was receiving intelligence from various confidential sources that the handlers of the ISI, through some pseudonymous persons, were luring the employees of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India with money to obtain strategically important information related to the Indian Army. Passing of such information is likely to pose a huge threat to the internal and external security of India.

The spokesman claimed when the intelligence inputs were developed it was revealed Satendra Siwal, who is posted as Multi-Tasking Staff in the Ministry of External Affairs and is currently working in the Indian Embassy in Moscow, was involved in anti-India activities.

"It was revealed that he was linked with a network of ISI handlers," he claimed.

The spokesman alleged that Satendra, a resident of U.P's Hapur district, was passing important and confidential information related to the Indian Embassy, Defence Ministry, Foreign Ministry and strategic activities of Indian Army establishments to the ISI handlers for the sake of money.

The spokesman said Satendra was called to ATS field unit Meerut and when quizzed about the information passed by him he failed to give a satisfactory answer. "During intensive interrogation, Satendra confessed to his crime," he said.

He said that a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Official Secrets Act has been lodged against Satendra at ATS police station in Lucknow.