A civilian clerk working at the Naval Headquarters in Delhi has been arrested by Rajasthan Police’s Intelligence Wing for allegedly sharing confidential defence information with Pakistan’s intelligence agency, ISI, during Operation Sindoor.
Who is Vishal Yadav?
The man has been identified as Vishal Yadav, a resident of Haryana and employed as a clerk at the naval headquarters, is accused of leaking sensitive information related to the Indian Navy and other defence units. Authorities have informed that he shared the information with a Pakistani woman posing as Priya Sharma on social media. The information was reportedly passed in exchange for money over a long period, including during Operation Sindoor.
The arrest was done after months of surveillance by Rajasthan’s CID Intelligence Unit, as per media reports. Senior officer Vishnukant Gupta confirmed to NDTV that the unit had been monitoring possible spying activity linked to Pakistan.
Officials had also recovered sensitive documents and messages from Yadav’s mobile phone, which confirmed the leak of information.
What has the investigation revealed?
Authorities have found out that Yadav was frequently in touch with the Pakistani handler online. He reportedly received payments for the information through cryptocurrency and direct bank transfers.
According to officials, Yadav had a serious online gaming addiction and was in deep financial trouble due to gambling losses, which may have led him to spy for money.
He is currently being questioned at the Central Interrogation Centre in Jaipur by several intelligence agencies.
Broader crackdown on espionage
After the recent terror attack in Pahalgam and India’s strong response through Operation Sindoor, Indian intelligence agencies have tightened security nationwide. Over the last month, multiple arrests related to spying have been made in Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana, Gujarat, and Punjab.