2 Pak Army soldiers arrested near Punjab's Firozpur; SIM cards, cellphone recovered

An operation party near the Border Out Post (BOP) in Punjab's Ferozepur Sector on Sunday arrested two Pakistani nationals, who were approaching the Indian side.

Siraj Ahmed (31) and Mumtaz Khan (38) were apprehended by the security personnel at around 5:10 pm. Both belong to the Baloch Regiment of the Pakistan Army.

The security forces recovered Rs 3,660, a mobile phone and a SIM card from Mumtaz and two Pakistani army ID cards, four photographs, a smartphone, and Rs 1,040 from Ahmed. 

Earlier in March, Punjab’s special operations cell in a joint operation with military intelligence had nabbed a Pakistan spy.

According to reports, the spy was identified as one Ravi Kumar worked with Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI.

He was recruited by ISI seven months ago through Facebook, the report added.

Kumar has been booked under various sections of the Official Secrets Act and some sections of the Indian Penal Code.

A Times of India report added that a team of SSOC led by Inspector Gurinderpal Singh arrested Ravi Kumar from the Chatiwind police station area in Amritsar district.

Photographs of vital installations, hand-made maps of restricted areas, photocopies of restricted training manuals of the Army and information regarding Army attack formations were recovered from him, according to a Punjab Police release.

The release added that Kumar gave the accused gave Pakistan information with regard to the movement of Army units, construction of new bunkers on the Indian side of the border, photographs of Army vehicles and their formation signs, exercises and trainings and activity/construction.

The official note said investigation had shown that Kumar was in regular touch with Pakistani ISI officers over mobile phone and internet. “Money was transferred to his account after routing it though Dubai. ISI handlers had even sponsored his visit to Dubai from February 20-24 this year. There, he was briefed on his spying assignment,” the police added while speaking to Hindustan Times.

(With agency inputs)