In a significant development, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (UP ATS) has apprehended an employee posted at the Indian Embassy in Moscow, Russia, on charges of being an agent for Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

The accused, identified as Satyendra Siwal, a native of Hapur in Uttar Pradesh, had been stationed at the Embassy since 2021, serving as a multi-tasking staff (MTS) at the Ministry of External Affairs.

The arrest came after UP ATS received intelligence from confidential sources indicating the presence of an ISI spy within the Embassy premises. Siwal was taken into custody in Meerut after initial questioning by the ATS raised suspicions. Subsequently, he admitted to engaging in espionage activities and compromising confidential documents, motivated by financial incentives. His illicit activities involved extracting sensitive information about the Indian Army, its day-to-day operations, and strategic details concerning the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of External Affairs, and other military establishments. This breach raises concerns about potential security threats and the compromise of crucial national security information. This incident echoes a similar case from October last year when an ATS operation uncovered a Pakistani individual, Labhshankar Maheshwari, who had been granted Indian citizenship in 2005. Maheshwari was accused of spying on Indian defence personnel through WhatsApp, with the intention of assisting Pakistani authorities. The espionage scheme involved sending spyware disguised as a fake 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign via WhatsApp to Indian defence personnel.