UP ATS makes second arrest – Kumar Vikas nabbed for sharing info with Pakistan ISI agent ‘Neha Sharma’ via WhatsApp

The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad on Wednesday arrested another person for sharing classified and sensitive information with a Pakistani intelligence operative "Neha Sharma' via Whatsapp.

On March 13, ATS arrested another Ordnance Factory employee, Ravindra Kumar, from Hazratpur, Firozabad, for similar offences. His interrogation led ATS officials to Vikas, who had also been in contact with the suspected Pakistani ISI agent "Neha Sharma' since January 2025.

Kumar Vikas was employed as a Junior Works Manager at the Kanpur Ordnance Factory, the ATS said in the statement.

Kumar Vikas was in contact with a suspected Pakistani agent who used the alias "Neha Sharma", it said. Investigations revealed that Vikas had been sending confidential documents and sensitive data related to ordnance manufacturing, employee attendance sheets, machine layouts, and production charts via WhatsApp.

Authorities said the Pakistani agent introduced herself as an employee of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) and initially contacted Vikas on Facebook. They later exchanged mobile numbers and continued their communication on WhatsApp.

To avoid detection, they used the Ludo gaming app for covert conversations, the statement read. Vikas was allegedly lured by financial incentives to pass on classified information, it said.

Kumar Vikas has been taken into custody and further legal proceedings are underway.

Ravindra Kumar, who was arrested on March 13, was reportedly honey-trapped by an ISI handler named ‘Neha’ and had been leaking sensitive defence information for an extended period.

Investigation revealed that the accused shared details such as “daily production report,” “receipt of stores,” “the stock that is about to arrive” and other sensitive information such as “details on drones and the Gaganyaan project”.

According to ADG UP ATS Nilabja Choudhary, the ISI has been running similar operations for a long time, targeting individuals to extract crucial defence-related information by honey-trapping them through social media websites.

In a press briefing, ADG UP ATS Nilabja Choudhary said, “ATS UP and their associate agencies got info that a person named Ravindra Kumar was sharing different confidential and sensitive information with his Pak ISI handler. So, working on this, our Agra unit did a preliminary interrogation of Ravindra Kumar, and he was called to ATS headquarters for detailed interrogation, where it was proved that he shared very sensitive information through a handler named Neha.”