Three Jammu Kashmir Youth Arrested in Arunachal For Espionage | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: Arunachal Pradesh Police have arrested three youths from Jammu and Kashmir within a span of about three weeks on charges related to espionage and alleged links with Pakistan-based handlers, in what police sources have described as a serious national security case, reports appearing in the media said.

The latest arrest was made late on Wednesday night in Aalo town of West Siang district, where a 26-year-old man, Hilal Ahmed, son of late Mohammad Shadik Mir, was taken into custody. West Siang Superintendent of Police Kardak Riba told the media that the arrest followed specific intelligence inputs pointing to suspicious and potentially dangerous behaviour.

Police said Hilal Ahmed had been staying in Aalo since November 25 after arriving to participate in a trade fair and had travelled through Papum Pare district. He was carrying a valid Inner Line Permit and other documents, which were found to be in order. By Thursday morning, he was handed over to the Itanagar Police Station for further investigation.

Earlier, on November 22, Arunachal Pradesh Police arrested Nazir Ahmad Malik, a resident of Kupwara district in Jammu and Kashmir, from a rented accommodation in Ganga village under Chimpu police station limits in Itanagar district. Police said the arrest was based on “credible and actionable intelligence” regarding his movements and activities in the region.

According to the first information report, Malik was allegedly collecting and transmitting sensitive information related to Indian Army and paramilitary troop movements and installations. During interrogation, media reports suggest that he has admitted to maintaining covert communication with Pakistan-based handlers through encrypted Telegram channels. Police sources said two mobile phones seized from him allegedly contained incriminating material, including links to a Telegram channel named “Al AQSA”, which investigators believe was used to share security-related information.

Police further claimed that Malik disclosed receiving instructions involving acts such as arson and the placement of basic explosives aimed at destabilising security establishments. Based on his statements, a third accused, Sabir Ahmed Mir, also a resident of Kupwara district, was arrested from the Abotani Colony area of Itanagar. Investigators said Mir had allegedly come into contact with the same handler via Telegram and was instructed to facilitate illegal crossings of Pakistani nationals into India and act as an arms carrier.

A senior police officer, speaking to Hub News on condition of anonymity, confirmed the arrests and said the investigation was being pursued with utmost seriousness. “We received critical intelligence inputs from outside the state. Acting on these alerts, our teams apprehended the accused. The main handler, believed to be operating from outside Arunachal Pradesh, is still untraceable. All the accused are currently in judicial custody,” the officer said, adding that the matter involved national security.

The FIR also notes that deleted data recovered from Sabir Ahmed Mir’s mobile phone has strengthened suspicion about his alleged role in the network. Preliminary police assessments suggest the accused were sharing confidential information, coordinating with hostile foreign operatives, and were part of a broader attempt to disrupt public order and national security.

Investigators have said that the presence of the three accused in Arunachal Pradesh, more than 3,000 kilometres away from Jammu and Kashmir, points to a wider conspiracy to activate what police sources termed “anti-national elements” in the sensitive northeastern region.

The case has been registered under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with provisions of the Official Secrets Act and relevant sections of the Arunachal Pradesh Act. Police said a detailed probe is under way to uncover the larger network, operational linkages and objectives behind the alleged espionage activities.