BSF jawan ‘honey-trapped’ by ISI, held on spying charge

LUCKNOW: A BSF jawan, alleged to have been honey-trapped by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) over Facebook, has been arrested from Noida on charges of spying by Uttar Pradesh’s anti-terror squad, state director general of police (DGP) OP Singh said on Wednesday.

Achyutanand Mishra, posted at the composite hospital of the Border Security Force in Delhi, was friends with the fake Facebook ID, apparently of a woman who posed as a defence reporter since January 2016. Her mobile number, registered in Pakistan, was saved on his phone as ‘Pakistani dost’, Singh said.

Addressing media persons in Lucknow, the DGP said preliminary investigations had revealed that Mishra allegedly shared crucial information about the armed forces and the movement of troops with the woman. He also used to chat with her over WhatsApp. “The jawan shared the unit’s location, details of armoury, photographs and videos of BSF premises and information about the BSF training academy in Tekanpur, MP, with the woman. We have extracted details from his Facebook profile and mobile phone, which proves that he had been sharing information since January 2016,” Singh said. Mishra -- is from Rewa in MP and was inducted into the BSF in 2006 -- has been booked on charges of sedition and leaking secret information to the ISI, the DGP said.

Prima facie, there is enough evidence to prove that he has committed crime under the Official Secrets Act, he added.

The DGP said Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI had been using fake Facebook user IDs to trap defence and armed forces personnel. “The BSF jawan was honey-trapped through a fake Facebook profile of a woman. He said the Facebook user had introduced herself as a defence reporter and talked to him for hours,” Singh

ACHYUTANAND MISHRA, WHO WAS INDUCTED INTO THE BSF IN 2006, HAS BEEN BOOKED ON CHARGES OF SEDITION AND LEAKING SECRET INFORMATION TO THE ISI

said, adding that Mishra appeared to have had some intimate conversations with the woman. The DGP said the jawan had been aware that he was chatting with a Pakistan-based woman on WhatsApp but he was “trapped” to such an extent that he did not realise his act could pose a threat to the country’s internal security.

Singh said the jawan had confessed during interrogation by BSF and ATS officials that the woman tried to motivate him to carry out activities against his country and procure crucial information from him. Mishra is married and has two children.

IG of police, UP anti-terror squad, Asim Arun said the BSF jawan, who was arrested on an intelligence tip-off, would be questioned further about the involvement of others in the spy network and the information he had allegedly shared with the ISI.

“We will analyse what dent has been caused to BSF operations by the leaked information. We will also try to find out if money or any other benefit was offered to Mishra,” Arun said. He added that the BSF and other armed forces would be alerted about the honey traps being laid by the ISI.