The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested an employee of the Indian Embassy in Moscow, Russia, on charges of spying for Pakistan's intelligence agency, ISI.
The arrested individual has been identified as Satendra Siwal. Employed as a Multi-Tasking Staff (MTS) in the Ministry of External Affairs, he is accused of passing sensitive information to ISI handlers.
Siwal, posted at the Embassy since 2021 in the role of India Based Security Assistant (IBSA), came under scrutiny following a tip-off received by the Anti-Terrorism Squad regarding a spy operating within the Indian Embassy in Moscow.
A resident of Shahmahiuddinpur village in Hapur, Siwal, was identified as a key player in the alleged spying network. Exploiting his position, he allegedly extracted classified documents and shared critical information about the strategic activities of the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of External Affairs, and Indian military establishments with ISI operatives, driven by financial motives.
After extensive intelligence gathering and surveillance, Satendra Siwal was brought to the ATS Field Unit in Meerut for interrogation. During questioning, he reportedly failed to provide satisfactory answers, eventually confessing to his involvement in spying activities.
An Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) is a special counterterrorism unit that operates in several Indian state police agencies, including the Maharashtra Police, Gujarat Police, Kerala Police, Uttar Pradesh Police, Rajasthan Police, Bihar Police, Jharkhand Police, Tamil Nadu Police, Madhya Pradesh Police, and Chhattisgarh Police.