Ahmedabad: On Friday, the Gujarat police’s Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) apprehended an individual, originally from Pakistan but granted Indian citizenship in 2005, on charges of aiding Pakistani authorities in conducting spy on Indian defense personnel. The suspect is accused of disseminating tracking malware via WhatsApp, according to an official statement.
Acting on information provided by Military Intelligence regarding the operation of an Indian WhatsApp number from Pakistan aimed at spying on defense personnel, the ATS detained Labhshankar Maheshwari, 53, in Tarapur town, situated within Anand district. Subsequently, he was brought in for questioning, as detailed by the official source.
During the course of the investigation, it was unveiled that Maheshwari, who originally hails from Pakistan and was granted Indian citizenship in 2005, had allegedly conspired to expedite the visa application process for himself, his spouse, and two other family members. They intended to visit Pakistan to reunite with relatives, ATS Superintendent of Police Om Prakash Jat disclosed.
The accused has been formally charged under Section 123 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which pertains to concealing information with the intent of facilitating actions against the government, as well as Section 121-A, which addresses conspiracy to wage war against the government. Additionally, he is facing charges under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act, according to the same official source.
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