Espionage Case: Two More from North Kashmir Arrested, Toll Five

Srinagar: Police have arrested two more residents of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district in connection with a suspected espionage case under investigation in Arunachal Pradesh, taking the total number of arrests to five.

Inspector General of Police Law and Order Chukhu Apa said the arrests were made on December 18. The accused were later brought to Arunachal Pradesh for detailed questioning.

The two men have been identified as Ajaz Ahmad Bhat and Bashir Ahmad Ganai. Police said preliminary findings suggest they were collecting sensitive information from various locations in Arunachal Pradesh and sharing it with handlers outside the region. Officials did not disclose details of the information or locations, citing security concerns.

The IGP said forensic reports are awaited. He said the investigation so far indicates that sensitive inputs were being passed on to handlers across the country. He added that the probe is ongoing and more details will emerge as the investigation progresses.

Earlier, police arrested Nazir Ahmad Malik and Sabir Ahmad Mir from Kupwara on November 21 following specific intelligence inputs. Another accused, Shabir Ahmad Khan, also a resident of Kupwara, was later arrested from Itanagar.

Authorities said further arrests cannot be ruled out. The case has prompted heightened security coordination among state police, central intelligence agencies, and other security forces operating in the border state.