Former Army personnel held in Bengal over alleged ISI links, police suspect wider network

New Delhi: Punjab Police have arrested a former Indian Army soldier in Hasimara in West Bengal’s Alipurduar district over the alleged sharing of sensitive military information with Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The arrest took place on Friday, after an investigation led the Punjab team to the border town.

The arrested man previously served as a lance naik in the Army and belongs to Rasulpur village in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district, the Hindustan Times reported. Hasimara, where he was found, is close to the India-Bhutan border and is also home to an Army cantonment.

The case centres on allegations that the former soldier passed confidential information about the Army to Pakistani intelligence. Police also suspect that he was not acting alone. Another person allegedly connected to the case has not yet been arrested.

The Punjab Police team received assistance from Hasimara police during the operation. After the arrest, the accused was brought before an additional chief judicial magistrate in Siliguri.

The additional public prosecutor, Soumitra Sinha Sarkar, told the court that the Punjab Police had followed the accused’s trail to West Bengal, according to the report. He said the man was arrested for allegedly spying for the ISI and sharing classified information concerning the Army.

The court granted Punjab Police transit remand, which allows them to take the accused to Punjab for further investigation.

A Punjab police officer said the case was registered at Fazilka police station on October 8. The accused has been booked under the Official Secrets Act, while police continue to look for his alleged associate.