CRPF personnel held for ‘sharing sensitive info with Pakistan operatives’

A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan was arrested in Delhi for leaking sensitive and classified information to Pakistan’s intelligence agencies in exchange for money, an official statement said on Monday, May 26. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken the accused into 15-day custody for further investigation, following court orders.

The CRPF issued a statement declaring the arrest of its personnel by the NIA, whose actions violated protocols. This follows dismissal of his service from May 21 onwards, in accordance with relevant provisions of the Constitution of India, complying with the CRPF Rules.

The CRPF statement reads, “In the course of close monitoring of social media activity by CRPF personnel, in coordination with central agencies, one individual was found to have acted in violation of established norms and protocols. The person has been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for further inquiry.”

The accused, identified as Moti Ram Jat, was alleged to have been involved in espionage activity since 2023. The Special Court at Patiala House Courts sent the accused to the NIA's custody until June 6.

Special Judge Chanderjit Singh, who presided over the hearing on May 25, observed that senior CRPF officers questioned the jawan on May 17 based on “information regarding an exchange of information between him and anti-state elements” and handed him over to NIA on May 21.

The investigating agency will investigate the information passed on by the jawan and his links across the border. Once the custody period expires, the accused will be produced before the court on June 6. Section 43-D of UAPA permits the NIA to obtain police custody of an accused for up to 30 days.

The accused has been charged with several sections, including sections 15 (pertaining to terror act), 16 (punishment for terror act) and 18 (punishment for conspiracy and related acts) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

The intensified nationwide crackdown on terrorist activities and on purported espionage links follows the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir in which 26 people were killed.