After Haryana YouTuber, Uttar Pradesh Businessman Arrested for Alleged Espionage for Pakistan’s ISI

The Uttar Pradesh Police’s Special Task Force (STF) on Saturday arrested Shahzad, a businessman from Rampur’s Tanda, for allegedly spying for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The arrest followed intelligence inputs about alleged his “involvement in cross-border smuggling and espionage activities”, according to an STF statement.

Shahzad, who frequently traveled to Pakistan, was reportedly smuggling cosmetics, clothes, spices, and other goods across the India-Pakistan border. The STF revealed that this illegal trade served as a cover for his covert operations for the ISI. He allegedly passed sensitive national security information to his ISI handlers, posing a significant threat to India’s security.

Further investigations uncovered that Shahzad allegedly provided funds and Indian SIM cards to ISI agents operating within India. He also facilitated the recruitment of individuals from Rampur and other parts of Uttar Pradesh, sending them to Pakistan under the guise of smuggling to work for the ISI. The STF noted that ISI agents arranged visas for these individuals. The STF is conducting a detailed probe into his network and electronic devices to uncover the full extent of his activities.

This arrest comes amid heightened India-Pakistan tensions following a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 people on April 22. It also follows the recent arrest of Haryana-based YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who was detained for allegedly sharing sensitive information with Pakistani intelligence operatives. After ‘Operation Sindoor’, there has been massive crackdown on alleged spies working for Pakistan, so far six people have been arrested in connection with ‘suspicious activities’ indicative of being alleged informants to Pakistani intelligence agents.