Security agencies have arrested three people in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh over the last 24 hours on suspicion of spying for Pakistan. Among those held is a retired Indian Air Force staff member from Assam’s Tezpur. The arrests are part of a series of counter-intelligence operations aimed at breaking what officials believe is a wider espionage network operating in the Northeast.
The total number of suspected Pakistan-linked spies caught in just two days has now gone up to five with these arrests and raising serious concerns over the security in the region. In Assam, Tezpur Police arrested Kulendra Sharma from the Patiachuburi area under the Tezpur Sadar Police Station limits on Saturday, 13th December. Sharma, a retired employee of the Indian Air Force, was serving at the Tezpur-based Air Force Station before retiring in 2002.
The suspect was taken into custody after sustained surveillance and preliminary investigation by the police. Suspicious material was recovered from his laptop.https://t.co/MzR9MLTA4L#Assam #IAF #Pakistan
— News18 (@CNNnews18) December 13, 2025
After he retired from the Air Force, Sharma worked in the electronics department of Tezpur University. The police claimed to have acted on specific intelligence inputs that suggested his contact with Pak-based intelligence handlers.
Preliminary investigations have revealed that Sharma used social media platforms to share sensitive documents and information with Pakistani operatives. The police reportedly seized a number of electronic devices, including mobile phones, during the arrest.
Sonitpur Superintendent of Police Barun Purakayastha said Sharma was indeed arrested and would be produced before a Tezpur court on Sunday, 14th December. He added, “The initial checking of the seized devices mentioned communications with Pakistan-based handlers. Some data appears to have been deleted in it.”
Two more suspected spies caught in Arunachal Pradesh
On the same day, Arunachal Pradesh Police detained two more suspected spies from different districts of the state. The accused were identified as Hilal Ahmed, age 26, from West Siang District, and Ghulam Mohammad Mir from Changlang district, who both hail from Jammu and Kashmir.
Police said the two were part of a network that passed sensitive information to Pakistan through a Telegram channel. The investigators said that the channel was being used by the handlers based across the border.
According to an Arunachal Pradesh police official, the suspects shared details about Army movements, locations of defence camps, among other security-related information. Acting upon the intelligence inputs, police sprang into action and arrested both men before any more information could be passed on.
Earlier arrests point to wider network
These arrests come just two days after Arunachal Pradesh Police picked up two other suspected spies on Thursday, 11th December. The accused, Nazir Ahmad Malik and Sabir Ahmed Mir, both from Kupwara district in Jammu and Kashmir, were running small businesses in Itanagar.
They were booked under multiple sections of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Official Secrets Act, and the Arunachal Pradesh Act. Both were later sent to judicial custody.
During questioning, Nazir Ahmad Malik admitted to sharing details about the deployment of Army and paramilitary forces, along with information about military installations. Police said they seized mobile phones from him, established digital links with a Telegram channel “Al AQSA”, which was suspected to be utilised for information sharing.
