Itanagar: The Itanagar Police has arrested two persons from Jammu and Kashmir for alleged espionage activities in Arunachal Pradesh, an officer said on Tuesday.
Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Chukhu Apa said the two persons were arrested from Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir on December 18, and they have been brought to the state, where they are currently in police custody.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Aijaz Ahmed Bhat and Bashir Ahmad Ganai.
The IGP said that another person who was earlier detained from Miao in Changlang district has been released after investigators found no material evidence linking him to the espionage activities.
According to the police officer, the accused were allegedly involved in collecting sensitive information from different parts of Arunachal Pradesh and sharing it with handlers based in Pakistan.
The case first came to light on November 21, when police arrested Nazir Ahmad Malik and Sabir Ahmed Mir, both residents of Kupwara district in Jammu and Kashmir, following specific intelligence inputs about their suspected involvement in spying activities.
Malik was initially detained from Ganga village in Itanagar, and based on information obtained from him, Mir was arrested later the same day from Abotani colony, in the state capital.
West Siang police arrested one Hilal Ahmed, also from Kupwara district, from a shop at Aalo, the district headquarters town, who was running a cloth shop at the trade fair in Old Market.
Changlang police had also arrested one Gulam Md Mir from Miao, who was later released by police.
The arrested individuals were mostly blanket sellers who travelled to various parts of the state to collect information, the IGP said.
“We were working based on credible information about a spy ring operating out of Arunachal Pradesh. Under the leadership of Itanagar SP Jummar Basar, the team worked diligently and made these arrests. Two have been arrested from Kupwara and three from different locations in the Itanagar Capital Region,” Apa said.
On the possibility of further arrests, the IGP said that interrogation of the accused is continuing, and forensic examination reports are awaited.
“We will proceed further based on evidence in the coming days. The arrested individuals are mostly blanket sellers who visited various parts of the state to collect information,” he added.
Expressing concern over lax verification practices, Apa urged citizens to remain vigilant.
“I appeal to the people of Arunachal Pradesh to carry out police verification before allowing anyone to stay on your property for safety reasons. Do not let people stay in your house without proper verification,” he said.
Earlier, on November 21, the police had arrested Nazir Ahmad Malik and Sabir Ahmed Mir, both residents of Kupwara district in Jammu and Kashmir, after receiving credible information about their possible involvement in espionage activities. Subsequently, another accused, Shabir Ahmed Khan, who also belongs to Kupwara, was arrested from Itanagar.
Authorities said the possibility of more arrests cannot be ruled out as the probe continues. The case has triggered serious security concerns, leading to close coordination between state police, central intelligence agencies, and other security forces deployed in the region.
