An Indian anti-terrorist squad apprehended a Pakistani individual on Friday, October 20, on allegations of spying on Indian defense personnel through WhatsApp, as reported by various media outlets, citing an official source. This arrest took place in the Indian state of Gujarat by the state police’s ATS team.
According to the reports, the accused is originally from Pakistan and obtained Indian citizenship in 2005.
The incident came to light when ATS received military intelligence suggesting that an Indian WhatsApp number was being operated from Pakistan for the purpose of spying on defense personnel. The suspect identified in this espionage operation is Labhshankar Maheshwari, a 53-year-old resident of Tarapur town in the Anand district of Gujarat.
This covert surveillance was apparently carried out to assist Pakistani authorities. The scheme involved sending spyware to the WhatsApp accounts of Indian defense personnel under the guise of a fictitious ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign, which purportedly promoted every Indian household displaying the national flag. When the targeted officials clicked on the spyware, it would install tracking malware on their devices.
The accused has been charged under Section 123 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which relates to concealing with intent to facilitate a design to wage war against the government, as well as Section 121-A for conspiracy to wage war against the government. Additionally, relevant sections of the Information Technology Act have been applied.
The investigation reveals that Maheshwari acknowledged his involvement in the conspiracy, as he believed it would expedite the visa processing for himself, his wife, and two other family members.
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