20-year-old college dropout arrested for spying in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra
A 20-year-old college dropout, Abhishek Bhardwaj, was arrested at Sukahar in Dehra sub division of Kangra district on suspicion of spying after sensitive and objectionable content was found on his mobile phone, police said on Thursday.
Acting on a tip-off that he had been providing intelligence information to Pakistan, the police had been monitoring Abhishek's activities over the past few days before they arrested him from his house on Wednesday. He was interrogated at the Dehra police station and booked under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for acts endangering sovereignty, unity and integrity of India.
Dehra superintendent of police (SP) Mayank Chaudhary said: 'After we got an input about Abhishek's activities, we kept him under close surveillance. We have found sensitive videos and photos on his mobile phone, which has been seized and sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for further analysis.'
A special team was formed under the sub-divisional police officer (SDPO), Dadaseeba. It had been monitoring the suspect for several days, collecting intelligence and keeping a watch.
This is the first such arrest in Himachal Pradesh as part of a larger crackdown on espionage networks after Operation Sindoor, launched by India on May 7 in response to an April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people. Since then, at least seven suspects have been arrested in Punjab and Haryana for alleged spying activities for Pakistan.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
12 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Punjab: Keep eye on obscene social media content, minister tells officials
Jun 23, 2025 07:52 AM IST Punjab social security, women and child development minister Baljit Kaur on Sunday expressed concern over the increasing trend of vulgar and obscene content being circulated on social media platforms. Such material poses a direct threat to the psychological and social well-being of children, she said. Baljit Kaur, Punjab social security, women and child development minister Hailing the orders issued by the Punjab State Commission for Protection of Child Rights to the ADGP (cyber crime) for strict action against those posting such content, the minister directed all district social security, women and child development officers to keep a strict watch on the circulation of such objectionable content at their level. She instructed that any complaint or information received regarding such content must be immediately shared with the police and the Child Rights Commission. Additionally, awareness campaigns must be organised at the local level to sensitise parents, teachers and youth about the responsible use of social media, she mentioned. Kaur stated that any elements adversely affecting the mental health of children would not be tolerated under any circumstances. The culprits will face the strictest legal action to deter others from posting obscene content online. The minister also instructed the police to intensify surveillance of such content on social media and take immediate action against individuals involved in creating or uploading it, under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, IT Act 2000, and POCSO Act 2012. She appealed to parents, teachers, social organisations and others to promptly report any such content or individuals involved in circulating it to the police or the Child Rights Commission without delay. 'Creating a safe, healthy, and positive digital environment for children is a shared responsibility of all of us,' she emphasised.
Hindustan Times
16 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
In hospital for cancer care, undertrial escapes police custody
A prisoner lodged in Saharanpur jail fled from the Meerut government medical college, where he was undergoing treatment for cancer, while under police watch. He was out of police bounds even three days later on Sunday. (For representation) The undertrial inmate was in jail after he was charged with loot and murder. His escape has triggered a departmental crackdown. The incident came to light after police personnel, deployed for the accused's security, were found sleeping on duty. Sub-inspector Raj Kumar, head constables Devendra Kumar, Vinod Kumar and Aditya and constable Nitin Kumar were assigned to guard Musahid, who hails from Saharanpur. Primary investigation revealed that the cops on duty dozed off during the night, leaving the accused unattended. When the S-I woke up in the middle of the night, he found the prisoner missing from his hospital bed. Rather than immediately reporting the incident, the officers allegedly tried to suppress the matter and began a discreet search. After several hours of failed attempts to locate the fugitive, they reported the matter to the medical police station in the wee hours of June 19. Police registered a case and launched a formal search operation. Also, a case was filed against all five policemen responsible for the lapse. Saharanpur senior superintendent of police Rohit Singh Sajwan suspended the entire security team deployed at the hospital. According to officials, Musahid, due to his deteriorating health, was brought to the Meerut medical college on March 24. He remained under medical care for nearly three months. SP City Sahranpur Vyom Bindal said, 'In the case of a prisoner's escape, an FIR has been registered against five policemen and absconding prisoner under BNS section 261 (escape from confinement or custody negligently suffered by a public servant) and 262 (resistance or obstruction by a person to his lawful apprehension). The five cops have also been suspended'. Even SWAT and Special Operations Group (SOG) teams have been pressed into action to track down the absconding criminal.
Hindustan Times
38 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
One dead, 3 injured after ST bus crashes into auto rickshaw in Virar West
MUMBAI: A 55-year-old shared auto-rickshaw passenger died, and three others, including the driver, suffered grievous injuries after an allegedly speeding State Transport (ST) bus crashed into it in Virar West on Sunday. The police booked the absconding bus driver for causing death by negligence. 55-year-old Kalpana Kolge, a resident of Arnala village, died int the accident. The accident occurred at 8.30am near the Arnala city bus stop. The ST had left the Arnala bus depot to go to Shirdi while the shared auto was transporting four passengers from the Virar railway station to the Arnala village. According to the police, the bus was attempting to overtake the vehicle in front of it and collided head-on with the auto. Passersby alerted the police at 8.35am, who rushed the four passengers and the auto driver, identified as Poonam Varthe, to the Sanjeevani Hospital in Virar West. One of them, Kalpana Kolge, a resident of Arnala village, was declared dead by the doctors. Varthe suffered injuries to her head and torso. The two other passengers, who are yet to be identified, also suffered injuries. All three are undergoing treatment at the hospital. Eyewitnesses told the police that the bus driver was speeding before it crashed into the rickshaw. 'Fearing public anger, the bus driver immediately fled. We are tracing the accused,' said a police officer. The Arnala Sagri police registered a case against the accused driver under section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 281 (rash driving), and 106 (causing death by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and relevant sections of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
