MEA employee posted in Moscow held for passing info to Pak

The police in Uttar Pradesh have arrested an Indian national working at the country's embassy in Moscow for allegedly spying for Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), an official statement on Sunday said.

The Meerut field unit of UP's Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) called Satendra Siwal, who was working as the IBSA (India Based Security Assistant) in the Indian Embassy in Moscow from 2021, for interrogation, the statement said.

Siwal, a resident of Shahmahiuddinpur village in Hapur, could not give satisfactory answers and confessed to his crime during 'questioning', it said.

He was arrested after an FIR was registered against him at ATS police station, Lucknow, under Section 121A of the Indian Penal Code (waging war against the country) and the Official Secrets Act, 1923, the statement said.

The ATS in its probe through electronic and physical surveillance found that he was involved in anti-India activities with the network of the ISI handlers, it said.

The ATS said that he was providing important confidential information regarding the strategic activities of the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian military establishments for money.

Meanwhile, sources said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is aware of Siwal's arrest and working with the investigative authorities in this case.

"MEA continues to work with the investigative authorities in the matter," said a source.