Gujarat ATS nabs man for helping Pakistan spy on Indian defence personnel by sending malware on WhatsApp
Gujarat police's Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) on Friday arrested a man, a native of Pakistan who was granted Indian citizenship in 2005, for allegedly helping Pakistani authorities spy on Indian defence personnel by sending them a tracking malware through WhatsApp, an official said. Based on the inputs shared by the Military Intelligence about an Indian WhatsApp number being operated from Pakistan to spy on defence personnel, the ATS nabbed one Labhshankar Maheshwari, 53, from Tarapur town in Anand district and brought him here, the official said.
The accused has been booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 123 (concealing with intent to facilitate a design to wage war against the government) and 121-A (conspiracy to wage war against the government) and under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act, he said.
The investigation has revealed that Maheshwari, a native of Pakistan who was granted Indian citizenship in 2005, had agreed to be part of the conspiracy to expedite the visa process for him, his wife and two other family members wanting to visit the neighbouring country to meet relatives, ATS Superintendent of Police Om Prakash Jat said.
«The Indian Military Intelligence recently learnt that either the Pakistan Army or Pakistan's intelligence agency had somehow acquired an Indian SIM card, which was being used for spying on Indian defence personnel by sending them malware through WhatsApp. Based on the information, we apprehended Maheshwari from Tarapur in Anand, where he runs a grocery shop,» he told reporters.
