UP ATS Arrests Indian Embassy Staffer Posted In Moscow On Charges Of Espionage

Lucknow, February 4 (TNA) The Uttar Pradesh Police on Sunday arrested an employee of the Indian Embassy in Moscow for allegedly spying for Pakistan’s intelligence agency - the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The accused, identified as Satendra Siwal, a resident of Shahmahiuddinpur village in Hapur district, was hired as a “Multi-Tasking Staff” in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and worked at the embassy in Moscow from 2021, an official privy to the development informed while adding that the position is comparable to that of an office attendant or runner.

The Uttar Pradesh Police’s Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) in a statement that Siwal was arrested in Meerut and that he was interrogated where he confessed to the crime.

“The ATS received a tip-off from confidential sources that ISI handlers were luring employees of the MEA with money to derive information about the Defence Ministry, MEA, Indian Army and Indian military installations, posing a huge threat to the internal and external security of India. After verifying the information through technical and physical surveillance, Satendra Siwal, an employee posted as IBSA (India-based Security Assistant) at the Indian Embassy in Moscow was called for questioning to the ATS field unit in Meerut, where he failed to give satisfactory replies during interrogation and accepted his crime,” the ATS said further in the statement.

An FIR was registered against the accused at the ATS police station, Lucknow under sections 121 (A) of the Indian Penal Code and sections 3/5/9 of the Official Secrets Act-1923. Two mobile phones, one Aadhar, PAN card, identity card and Rs. 600 were also recovered from the accused.

Meanwhile, the MEA said that it was working with the relevant investigative authorities after the arrest. “MEA is aware of the arrest of Satendra Siwal in Uttar Pradesh, who was posted as Security Assistant in the Embassy of India, Moscow. MEA continues to work with the investigative authorities in the matter,” an official said.