Arunachal Pradesh Police arrests two Kupwara residents on espionage charge
New Delhi, Dec 11: Arunachal Pradesh Police has arrested two persons hailing from Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district for their alleged involvement in anti-national activities, including collecting and transmitting sensitive military information related to army and paramilitary movements in the state, police said on Wednesday, as per a report in the Hindustan Times.
The police identified the accused as Nazir Ahmad Malik, a resident of Kupwara district and Sabir Ahmed Mir, also from Kupwara. Police said they were arrested on charges of espionage and alleged links to Pakistan-based handlers.
As per an FIR (first information report) filed by the officer-in-charge of Chimpu police station, the first suspect, Nazir Ahmad Malik, was detained on November 22 from a rented house in Ganga village following “credible and actionable” intelligence inputs about his activities.
According to police, Malik admitted to sharing troop deployment details and information on army installations with foreign handlers through encrypted Telegram channels.
Police claim he also disclosed receiving instructions for acts including placing explosives and arson aimed at destabilising security establishments.
Two mobile phones recovered from Malik were examined.
Based on Malik’s statement, police later arrested Sabir Ahmed Mir from the Abotani Colony area of Itanagar.
A senior police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the arrests followed “critical intelligence inputs” from outside Arunachal Pradesh.
“Their main handler, believed to be operating from outside the state, remains untraceable. Both accused are in judicial custody. The case is being pursued diligently as it concerns national security,” the officer said.
The FIR notes that deleted data retrieved from Mir’s phone has strengthened suspicion about his involvement in a wider espionage network.
A preliminary assessment by police suggests that both men were coordinating with “hostile foreign operatives” and were part of a larger plan to compromise national security and disturb public order.
The case has been registered under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Official Secrets Act, and relevant provisions of state law.
