Gujarat ATS nabs spy relaying military intel to Pakistan

Gandhinagar, Oct 20: The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Friday arrested Labhshankar Maheshwari, an Anand resident from Tarapur, on charges of espionage.

Maheshwari, originally a Pakistani national who later acquired Indian citizenship, was found transmitting sensitive information about the Indian Army to Pakistan, the officials said.

Maheshwari employed a sophisticated modus operandi to hack into the mobile devices of Indian Army officers.

Using designated mobile numbers, he relayed classified details to Pakistan, earning financial rewards for his subversive activities.

Gujarat ATS, SP, Om Prakash Jat shed light on the operation, stating, “Intelligence from the military alerted us about a possible Pakistani agent using an Indian SIM card via WhatsApp to target the Indian Army and its affiliates.

“The spy dispatched a Remote Access Trojan (RAT) malware upon establishing contact, pilfering sensitive data to forward to an overseas command server.”

The trail led the ATS to a SIM card registered under Muhammad Saklain Thaim from Jamnagar. This card, activated by Azgar Hajibhai, eventually reached Maheshwari in Tarapur on the directive of an individual connected to the Pakistan Embassy.

Maheshwari’s long-standing ties with Pakistan, including his extended family and connections to the Pakistani Embassy, played a pivotal role in his espionage activities.

He was asked to forward the SIM to Pakistan, and this number is still active there, targeting the Indian Army’s kin.