May 8 (Punjab Khabarnama) : Arrested four days ago for allegedly spying for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), accused Harpreet Singh is supposed to have received funds from the agency through entities based in Dubai to carry out anti-India activities, the police have said.
The accused had been sharing with the ISI sensitive information related to the Army, including photographs and details of the Agniveer recruitment process, the police stated.
The Hoshiarpur police and the counter-intelligence unit of the Jalandhar police, in coordination with central agencies, had apprehended Harpreet from the Phagwara road in Hoshiarpur on Thursday night. Hailing from Tarn Taran district, he had been residing in Vijay Nagar area here.
Hoshiarpur SSP Surendra Lamba revealed that Harpreet had embraced Christianity about 10-12 years ago and had assumed a new name — Pastor Johnson.
“A preliminary investigation revealed that the accused maintained regular contact with ISI agents and Pakistan intelligence operatives, sending them sensitive information using SIM cards that he had obtained through forged identification documents,” said the SSP, adding that the accused had visited Pakistan twice in 2022 and 2023 to meet the intelligence operatives there.
According to the SSP, forensic experts are recovering and analysing data that has been seized from Harpreet’s cell phone. He said the source of money transferred to the accused and other possible financial transactions were also under investigation.
An FIR has been registered against the accused in the Model Town police station under Sections 419, 420, 467, 468, 471 of the IPC, Sections 66-C and 66-D of the IT Act besides 3 and 9 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923.