Gujarat man arrested for sharing sensitive info with Pak spy
Ahmedabad (PTI): The Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) has arrested a contractual health worker posted in the border district of Kutch for allegedly sharing sensitive information about military establishments with a Pakistani spy, officials said on Saturday.
Accused Sahdevsinh Gohil, 28, was lured by a Pakistani agent, who identified herself as Aditi Bharadwaj, to share information about under-construction as well as existing establishments of the Border Security Force and Indian Navy in the area, said the ATS in a release.
Since June 2023, Gohil, a resident of Lakhpat taluka of Kutch, had shared photos and videos of various BSF and naval facilities in Kutch district via WhatsApp with the Pakistani spy for money, said Superintendent of Police (ATS) Siddharth Korukonda.
The Pakistani agent first contacted Gohil, who was a contractual health worker at a government centre in Mata No Madh village in Lakhpat, on his WhatsApp number in June 2023 and befriended him.
“After winning his trust, the agent sought photos and videos of BSF and Indian Navy offices and ongoing construction around his village. Gohil shared the requested classified information via WhatsApp,” said the SP, adding that Gohil knew she was a Pakistani spy.
In January 2025, Gohil used his Aadhaar (unique identification number) to procure a SIM card and shared the OTP with the Pakistani agent, enabling her to use WhatsApp linked to that number from the neighbouring country.
Based on a tip, he was brought to the ATS office a few days ago for questioning, and his phone was sent for a forensic analysis, said Korukonda.
“Forensic analysis revealed that both the numbers on which Gohil used to share the information are currently being operated from Pakistan. We also learnt that he had received Rs 40,000 cash from an unidentified person sometime ago for sharing that information,” he said.
Following an investigation, the ATS arrested Gohil and registered an FIR against him and the Pakistani agent under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 61 (criminal conspiracy) and 148 (waging war against the government), added the officer.
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Traffic fraud: Fake 'no-entry' sticker racket busted in Delhi, mastermind among 3 held
New Delhi (PTI): Police here have busted a crime syndicate involved in traffic fraud and extortion, arresting three people including the alleged mastermind who sold fake stickers to help commercial vehicles bypass no-entry restrictions, an official said on Saturday.
The police said they dismantled a third organised syndicate linked to traffic-related frauds, with the arrest of Rinku Rana alias Bhushan, his associate Sonu Sharma and Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, who was also connected to another extortion syndicate.
According to the police, Rinku Rana was running a well-organised network that facilitated the movement of commercial goods vehicles during restricted hours by selling fake 'marka' or stickers for Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 per vehicle every month. The stickers were falsely projected as authorisation to evade traffic challans.
During raids, the police recovered Rs 31 lakh in cash, property documents worth several crores of rupees, over 500 fake stickers and six mobile phones allegedly used to operate the syndicate.
The crackdown followed a complaint filed by a traffic police officer in April this year after a commercial vehicle tried to evade checking by producing a fake sticker claiming exemption from enforcement action.
Investigation revealed that social media groups were being used to coordinate the illegal movement of vehicles and alert drivers about traffic police checkpoints, police said.
"A parallel system was being run to cheat drivers and vehicle owners while undermining traffic enforcement. On the basis of evidence, provisions related to organised crime under the BNS were invoked," a senior police officer said.
Sonu Sharma, the police said, managed social media groups through which stickers were sold and real-time alerts were circulated regarding traffic police movement. He also acted as a link between Rana and drivers operating in the field.
In a related development, Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, an associate of Rajkumar alias Raju Meena, who was earlier arrested under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), was also apprehended.
Mukesh allegedly helped extort money from transporters and was involved in blackmailing traffic police personnel by recording enforcement actions, the police said.
Investigators alleged the syndicate led by Rajkumar deployed drivers to deliberately violate traffic rules and secretly record police officials during challans, later using manipulated videos to extort money under threat of false allegations.
The police said that in total, eight accused belonging to three different organised crime syndicates linked to traffic frauds and extortion have been arrested so far.
Further investigation is underway to trace the remaining members, conduct financial probes, and analyse digital evidence recovered during the raids, officials added.
