Itanagar, Dec 13: In a serious national security development, Arunachal Pradesh Police have arrested three youths from Jammu & Kashmir within a span of one week on charges of espionage and alleged links with Pakistan-based handlers.
The latest arrest was made late on Wednesday night in Aalo town of West Siang district, where a 26-year-old man, Hilal Ahmed, son of late Mohammad Shadik Mir, was taken into custody for allegedly sharing sensitive information. According to West Siang Superintendent of Police Kardak Riba, the arrest followed specific intelligence inputs indicating suspicious and potentially dangerous activities.
Hilal Ahmed had been staying in Aalo since November 25, 2025, after arriving to participate in a trade fair. Police said he had entered the state with a valid Inner Line Permit and proper documentation, and had reportedly travelled from Papum Pare district. By Thursday morning, he was handed over to the Itanagar Police Station, which will carry forward the investigation.
Earlier, Arunachal Pradesh Police arrested Nazir Ahmad Malik, a resident of Kupwara district in Jammu & Kashmir, from a rented house in Ganga village under Chimpu police station limits on November 22. The arrest followed what police described as “credible and actionable intelligence” regarding his movements and activities in the region.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), Malik was allegedly collecting and transmitting sensitive information related to Indian Army and paramilitary troop movements and installations. During sustained interrogation, he is said to have admitted to maintaining covert communication with Pakistan-based handlers through encrypted Telegram channels.
Police sources further claim Malik disclosed that he had received instructions for acts including arson and placement of explosives aimed at destabilising security establishments. Two mobile phones seized from him allegedly contained material linking him to a Telegram channel named “Al AQSA”, which investigators believe was used for sharing security-related information.
Based on Malik’s statements, a third accused, Sabir Ahmed Mir, also from Kupwara district, was arrested from the Abotani Colony area of Itanagar. Sources said Mir had come into contact with the same handler via Telegram and was allegedly instructed to facilitate illegal crossings of Pakistani nationals into India and act as an arms carrier.
A senior police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the arrests and said the investigation is being pursued with utmost seriousness.
“We received critical intelligence inputs from outside the state. Acting on these alerts, our teams apprehended the accused. The main handler, believed to be operating from outside Arunachal Pradesh, is still untraceable. All the accused are currently in judicial custody. This is a matter of national security, and we are working very diligently to uncover the entire network,” the officer said.
The FIR also notes that deleted data recovered from Sabir Ahmed Mir’s phone has further strengthened suspicion about his involvement in the alleged espionage network. Preliminary police assessments suggest the accused were sharing confidential information, coordinating with hostile foreign operatives, and were part of a broader attempt to disrupt public order and national security.
Investigators believe that the presence of the accused in Arunachal Pradesh—over 3,000 kilometres away from Jammu & Kashmir—points to a wider conspiracy to activate “anti-national elements” in the sensitive northeastern region.
The case has been registered under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with provisions of the Official Secrets Act and relevant sections of the Arunachal Pradesh Act.
Police have launched a detailed probe to uncover the larger network, operational linkages and objectives behind the alleged espionage activities.
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