Rajasthan government employee arrested for spying for Pakistan's ISI
What's the story
A Rajasthan state government employee, Sakur Khan Mangaliyar, has been arrested on suspicion of spying for Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
The arrest was made in Jaisalmer by a joint team of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and intelligence agencies.
Mangaliyar, who is also a former personal assistant to a senior Congress leader, is likely to be shifted to Jaipur for further interrogation.
Khan was working in the district administration control room during Operation Sindoor, India Today reported.
Investigation details
Mangaliyar's alleged connections and suspicious activities
Per TOI, authorities are probing Mangaliyar's alleged links with the senior Congress politician from the border region. He was also under watch for some time.
"Based on inputs from higher headquarters about his involvement in suspicious activities, we have detained him for verification and questioning," said Sudhir Chaudhary, Superintendent of Police.
Investigators found several Pakistani phone numbers on his mobile device, which he couldn't explain satisfactorily.
He also admitted to visiting Pakistan at least seven times in recent years.
Files
No classified content found so far
Officials said no military-related videos or classified content have been discovered on his phone thus far.
However, they suspect that many of the posts on the device were deleted.
His financial records, including two bank accounts, are also being scrutinized by intelligence officials.
"His links with an officer in the Pakistan Embassy and the possibility of connections with a Pakistani intelligence agency prompted the intelligence team from Jaipur to take action," sources told India Today.
Operation response
Operation Sindoor and its impact on espionage cases
Mangaliyar's arrest is part of a larger crackdown on espionage networks after Operation Sindoor.
The operation was launched by India on May 7 in response to an April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people.
Since then, at least seven suspects have been arrested in Punjab and Haryana for alleged spying activities for Pakistan.
Espionage crackdown
Other arrests and ongoing investigations
Among the arrested is Hisar-based travel vlogger Jyoti Malhotra, who is accused of sharing sensitive information with Pakistani handlers. She had also visited Pakistan multiple times.
The Punjab Police arrested two people in Malerkotla on May 11, while Haryana Police detained two more on May 13 and May 15.
Two individuals working at the Bathinda military station were also detained on similar charges on May 7 and May 14, respectively.