But 53-yr-old of Indian embassy in Islamabad had no access to sensitive information, say officials; ‘Link’ to RAW representative in Pak; concern over security of diplomats as she was an insider.
India-Pakistan talks at the prime ministerial level, should they finally take place this week, will have an intriguing precursor — a spy scandal.
Officials revealed on Tuesday that Madhuri Gupta, 53, working in the information section of the Indian high commission in Islamabad, was arrested in Delhi four days ago on charges of passing on information to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). She had been called to the capital on the pretext of consultations.
Gupta, designated second secretary in the high commission, was arrested for breaching the Official Secrets Act. “We have reason to believe that an official in the high commission of India in Islamabad had been passing information to the Pakistani intelligence agencies,” foreign ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash said. “The official is cooperating with our investigations and enquiries,” he said in a statement made on the sidelines of the Saarc summit in Bhutan, where Manmohan Singh and Yousaf Raza Gilani are likely to meet.
Gupta was working in the high commission as an interpreter, her primary duty being to scan the Urdu press and translate the reports. She is said to be proficient in Persian. She was an attache when she first went to Pakistan about three years ago, but was promoted last year.
Officials say she had been under observation by detectives in India’s counter intelligence set-up for six months; however, they acted on their suspicions only now, when she was asked to come to Delhi for ‘consultations’ on the Saarc summit in Bhutan.
But sources said she had little information of value to pass on. No important document was handed over to the ISI, mainly because she did not have access to them.
Of greater concern is growing speculation that Gupta had befriended RK Sharma, the station head of India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), posted in Islamabad, and used her contact with him to pass on sensitive information. But officials involved in the investigations said she was a lone operator.
“She is a disgruntled employee who had little real-time information to give out,” said an official who spoke to Gupta.
While she does not appear to be a Mata Hari, the reason for worry is security. As a diplomat working in the mission, she could have given out details of the timings and habits of Indian diplomats posted in Islamabad.
Such information could fall into the hands of terrorists if they wished to attack the mission, officials said.
Gupta was on Monday produced before a magistrate who remanded her in five days of police custody, reports said.
In Islamabad, Pakistani foreign office spokesman Abdul Basit declined to give a reaction to reports of the arrest of Gupta on charges of spying for Pakistan. He said Pakistani authorities are in the process of collecting information on the issue. But he said Indian media reports that the arrested diplomat was spying for Pakistani agencies is “rubbish”.
—With inputs from agencies
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}