Amritsar, May 4 — In a significant counter-espionage operation, Punjab Police on Saturday arrested two individuals in Amritsar for allegedly leaking sensitive military information and images of Army cantonments and air bases to Pakistani intelligence operatives.
The suspects, identified as Palak Sher Masih and Suraj Masih, were arrested by Amritsar Rural Police, which said the two had links to operatives of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). These links were reportedly established through Harpreet Singh alias Pittu, who is currently in custody at Amritsar Central Jail in an unrelated narcotics case.
“A case has been registered under the Official Secrets Act, and the investigation is ongoing,” the Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said in a statement on X. “Punjab Police stands strong with the Indian Army and remains unwavering in its duty to safeguard national interests. Any attempt to undermine the security of our armed forces will be met with firm and immediate action. Nation First Always. Jai Hind.”
Authorities said further details are likely to emerge as the investigation progresses. The arrests come against the backdrop of heightened India-Pakistan tensions following the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
Amritsar Rural SSP Maninder Singh told news agency ANI that the arrests followed specific directions from Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and DGP Yadav to act swiftly on any credible information related to anti-national activities.
According to Singh, police acted on a tip-off and found the suspects in possession of substantial data related to military installations. Investigations revealed that the jailed Harpreet Singh allegedly introduced the two to Pakistani handlers.
“They were being paid ₹5,000 for minor details and ₹10,000 for more sensitive information such as troop movements,” Singh said.
He added that the suspects had initially worked as drug couriers, transporting heroin from the border area, and were later recruited to gather and transmit intelligence.
Weapons and a quantity of RDX were also recovered during the operation, police said. Harpreet Singh is expected to be brought on a production warrant for further questioning.
The FIR has been registered under both the Official Secrets Act and the Information Technology Act.
Separately, the Border Security Force (BSF), in joint operations with Punjab Police, recovered two Pakistani drones believed to have crashed while attempting to cross into Indian territory. One DJI Mavic 3 Classic drone was found near Shahur Kalan village in Gurdaspur district on Thursday, while another was recovered near Bhaini Rajputana village in Amritsar.
Preliminary assessments suggest both drones may have been brought down by advanced counter-drone systems deployed by Indian forces.
The BSF said coordinated efforts with Punjab Police are ongoing to prevent cross-border drone incursions, which have become increasingly frequent in recent months.
