Indian Embassy Staffer Arrested for Spying for Pakistan’s ISI

An Indian national working at the Indian Embassy in Moscow has been arrested on charges of spying for Pakistan‘s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Satendra Siwal, who served as the India-Based Security Assistant (IBSA) at the embassy, was apprehended by the Meerut field unit of Uttar Pradesh‘s Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS).

The ATS called Siwal for interrogation, during which he failed to provide satisfactory answers and eventually confessed to his crime. Following his confession, an FIR was registered against him at the ATS police station in Lucknow.

Satendra Siwal, a resident of Shahmahiuddinpur village in Hapur, Uttar Pradesh, has been charged under Section 121A of the Indian Penal Code (waging war against the country) and the Official Secrets Act, 1923.

The ATS investigation, which utilized both electronic and physical surveillance, revealed that Siwal was involved in sharing important confidential information regarding the strategic activities of the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of External Affairs, and the Indian military establishments. The motive behind his actions was financial gain.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has acknowledged Siwal’s arrest and is collaborating with the investigative authorities in this case. This incident sheds light on the efforts of ISI handlers to lure certain staff members of the external ministry with monetary offers in exchange for strategic information.