Assam STF arrests another man in alleged Pakistan espionage case

The Assam Police Special Task Force (STF) on October 5 arrested Ritesh Kumar Singh, 39, from Guwahati's Satgaon area for his alleged involvement in an espionage case involving a Pakistan Intelligence Operative (PIO), officials said.

Singh, a native of Begusarai in Bihar, was picked up for questioning from a rented house in Satgaon during the investigation into STF Police Station Case No. 09/2026 and was subsequently arrested, according to police.

Preliminary investigation has allegedly revealed that Singh was involved in espionage-related activities and had shared sensitive information concerning security forces with a Pakistan Intelligence Operative, police said.

Singh is the second person arrested in the case. The STF had earlier arrested Abhishek Kumar Singh, 31, a resident of Bihar, from a rented house in the Gandhinagar area under Satgaon police station during the intervening night of October 3 and 4.

Police had alleged that Abhishek was in contact with a Pakistani intelligence operative and was involved in passing confidential information related to security forces. A mobile phone, SIM cards and documents were reportedly recovered during the operation.

Investigators are now examining Ritesh's alleged role in assisting Abhishek and the nature of the information that may have been shared with the Pakistan Intelligence Operative.

The STF is continuing its investigation to establish the extent of the alleged network and identify any other persons who may have been involved.

The arrests followed intelligence inputs, including information developed by Military Intelligence of the Tezpur-based Gajraj Corps, according to police. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier said two people, including a retired Army personnel working on contract, had been arrested in connection with the alleged passing of sensitive information concerning security-force movements to Pakistan-linked handlers.