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New Delhi: A 15-year-old boy was arrested by the Punjab Police on espionage charges. The arrest indicates that Pakistan’s spy agency, the ISI, is allegedly expanding its recruitment efforts to target Indian minors. The incident has come as an alarm for security agencies. The case highlights ISI adopting new methods to hamper national security.
The Pathankot Police arrested the boy following investigations which suggested that he had been in contact with ISI handlers based in Pakistan for almost a year. Police reportedly said that the minor had been sharing crucial and sensitive information related to India's security through his mobile phone.
The teenager is a resident of Jammu’s Samba district. He was detained after surveillance and technical analysis traced his communications to Pakistan-based handlers.
Interrogation revealed that the boy was not acting on his own and was part of a wider network. Police sources pointed out that several other minors across different districts of Punjab were believed to be in touch with ISI operatives.
Following the revelations, alerts have been issued to police stations across Punjab. All police stations have been asked to step up vigilance to identify and shield other vulnerable children who may have been lured into similar networks.
The probe into the case is progressing and investigators are trying to ascertain the magnitude of the operation and the kind of information that the boy and other minors may have shared.
Talking to media persons, Pathankot Senior Superintendent of Police Daljinder Singh Dhillon reportedly said the boy who has been nabbed is 15 years old and was in touch with ISI handlers in Pakistan. He added that during the probe, key details have come to light on methods being used to share crucial information. The top police official also said that inputs have been received that suggests that other minors in Punjab are involved in the network. Police units across the state have been informed, and action will be taken, Dhillon said.
According to police officials, the case has sparked an extensive study of online engagement involving minors, essentially in sensitive border areas. This is aimed to plug potential security leaks and safeguard children from being manipulated by ISI operating online.
