4, including minor, held in Gujarat on suspicion of spying for Pakistan

The Kutch police has arrested four youngsters including a minor on suspicion of spying on defence installations for Pakistan's intelligence agency. Police said that the youths were sending information of vital installations related to national security to an unidentified person in Pakistan.

Superintendent of Police, Kutch (West), Saurabh Tolambiya, while confirming the case, told DH, "We have arrested them on Saturday evening on suspicion that they were sending out vital information pertaining to national security. We have found information in their phones and they haven't been able to give valid reasons for keeping them." He also said that all the four youths have been booked under the Official Secrets Act among other charges.

When asked if the accused benefitted from sending the information, Tolambiya said, "Prima facie, they have been arrested on the basis of suspicion. The other aspect of this case is a matter of investigation which the Special Operation Group (SOG) is doing."

The arrested have been identified as Hajam Mamadrafik, 23, Sumra Arbaz Ismail, 20, Padeiyar Abas, 18 and a 17-year-old minor who all are residents of Abdasa taluka of Kutch district. While the last two are students of a private school, Mamadrafik is a barber and Ismail runs a mobile shop.

The FIR has been registered at Naliya police station under section 123 (concealing with intent to facilitate design to wage war), to be read with section 120B (conspiracy) and the Official Secrets Act.

Kutch district, that shares its border with Pakistan, has seen a number of cases of alleged espionage. In the past, the ATS has booked several people for allegedly sending information of Army or Air Force movements, their deployments among others details, to Pakistani spy agencies. Last year, several youths were picked up on similar charges.

In 2016, ATS had booked two persons -- Alana Sama and Shakoor Sumra -- residents of Bhuj, on charges of spying. The probe found out that one of the suspects had been trapped by a 17-year-old ISI agent in Pakistan and were forced to provide information on movement of Border Security Force.