India’s youth are fast becoming pawns in a dangerous geopolitical game — ensnared in a web of deception spun across borders. In the shadow of rising Indo-Pak tensions and the strategic aftershocks of Operation Sindoor, a disturbing trend has emerged — young men and women from ordinary homes in Punjab and Haryana, lured by money, manipulation, and in some cases, romantic entrapment, are being recruited as spies by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The nation’s adversary is no longer infiltrating solely through borders — it’s now slipping through digital backdoors, visa offices, and emotional vulnerabilities.

In just 11 days since India launched its retaliatory strike under Operation Sindoor, security agencies have arrested seven suspected Pakistani spies — all aged between 20 and 35 — from across Punjab and Haryana. Among the arrested, six individuals had direct contact with officials at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. Several had also travelled to Pakistan, under the garb of religious pilgrimages or personal visits, only to return as conduits for espionage. From Panipat to Jalandhar, Malerkotla to Nuh, the coordinated crackdown by central intelligence and state police has exposed how young Indians from middle-class backgrounds are being systematically radicalised, seduced and even weaponised against their own country.

The ‘New Face’ of Espionage: Ordinary, Young, Vulnerable

What makes these arrests particularly alarming is not just the number, but the profile of the accused. None fit the stereotype of a hardened spy. Students, YouTubers, tech-savvy app developers, unemployed youth, widows, and social media influencers — all reportedly pulled into the ISI’s dragnet using a combination of financial incentives, visa facilitation, emotional exploitation and even honey traps.

Nooman Elahi (Panipat, Haryana): Passport Agent Turned Spy

Arrested on May 13 from Panipat, 30-year-old Nooman Elahi was allegedly working for ISI handler Iqbal alias Kana, collecting and transmitting sensitive information about military movement and train logistics through electronic means. Elahi had visited Pakistan four times and was found in possession of eight passports. Following the death of his father, he started facilitating passport applications and eventually fell into the ISI’s trap, especially after one of Iqbal’s aides, Kaleem, was apprehended. Elahi was tasked with building a wider espionage network in Punjab and Haryana. “With no immediate family responsibilities and relatives in Pakistan, he could travel freely. He even started assisting others in acquiring passports to establish a broader spy ring,” a senior intelligence officer revealed.

Ghazala and Yamin Mohammad (Malerkotla, Punjab): Recruited at the Embassy

Arrested on May 8, Ghazala, a young widow from Malerkotla, was introduced to the spy network during a visit to the Pakistan High Commission in February 2025. There, she came in contact with an embassy official named Danish — suspected to be an ISI handler operating under diplomatic cover — who allegedly recruited her. She is accused of passing information on Army truck movement, base locations, and sensitive installations. `30,000 in UPI transactions traced to her account are believed to be linked to her activities. She visited the embassy again in April with her friend Banu Nasreena, with Danish facilitating her visa. Her alleged co-conspirator, Yamin Mohammad, was also arrested.

Arman (Kaithal, Haryana): The SIM Provider and Expo Scout

Hailing from a politically-connected family, Arman is accused of supplying Indian SIM cards to Pakistani handlers and scouting the Defence Expo-2025 site on their instructions. He reportedly had ties with the same High Commission official, Danish, and had visited Pakistan twice. His father, a former village sarpanch, is currently lodged in a Chhattisgarh jail in an unrelated case. Arman, eager to rise quickly and frustrated with his circumstances, is believed to have succumbed to ISI’s promise of fast money and influence.

Devender Singh (Hisar, Haryana): Caught in a Honeytrap

A student, Devender Singh’s descent into espionage began during a religious visit to Pakistan, where he allegedly fell prey to a honey trap. According to sources, a young woman lured him into a romantic relationship, kept him at her place for seven days, and got him trained in espionage. Singh was later connected to five ISI agents and reportedly began sharing information related to the Indian Army. His social media activity — particularly a photo with a firearm — brought him under the scanner. “She promised him more intimacy and money if he cooperated,” sources said.

Murtaza (Jalandhar, Punjab): The Tech-Savvy Informer

Originally from Bihar, Murtaza had moved to Jalandhar to make a living. His tech skills, however, landed him in the ISI’s sights. During heightened India-Pakistan tensions, he developed a custom app to scrape and transmit content from Indian news channels and digital sources to Pakistan. Intelligence recovered four mobile phones, three SIM cards, and over `40 lakh in suspicious transactions in a single month. He also had several videos and news links related to national security, suggesting he was part of a sophisticated propaganda and surveillance module.

Jyoti Malhotra (Hisar, Haryana): Influencer with Foreign Ties

Perhaps the most intriguing case is that of Jyoti Malhotra, a YouTuber and social media influencer from Hisar. She had travelled to Pakistan thrice, twice with Sikh pilgrimage groups. During one of these visits, she allegedly developed close ties with embassy official Danish, with whom she later went on a trip to Bali, Indonesia. Jyoti is accused of portraying a positive image of Pakistan on social media while simultaneously transmitting sensitive information to handlers across the border. Her high online following made her a particularly valuable asset. Her rise as a social media influencer came after she lost her job during the COVID-19 pandemic. She used her platform to gain popularity, making her an ideal candidate for ISI, which exploited both her reach and her financial vulnerability.

A Larger Intelligence Victory

According to the sources in the Intelligence Bureau, the arrests are the result of months of digital surveillance, intercepted communications, and cross-border intelligence-sharing initiated in the wake of Operation Sindoor. “Their calls, chats, and bank transactions were being monitored. Once patterns emerged, local police units were alerted,” said an intelligence official involved in the operation.

The government, while remaining tight-lipped officially, viewed these arrests as part of a broader counter-intelligence sweep aimed at neutralizing sleeper cells and digital espionage networks, especially in border states. Investigations are also focusing on how Pakistan’s diplomatic missions in India are allegedly serving as recruitment hubs, leveraging legitimate visa processes for covert intelligence operations.

The arrests are a grim reminder of the growing sophistication of modern espionage — where the battlefield is no longer just physical but also emotional, digital, and economic. Young Indians, grappling with job loss, social isolation, digital exposure, and economic aspiration, are being turned into soft targets. The use of social media, romantic manipulation, and religious travel as recruitment tools points to a more evolved and insidious strategy by hostile agencies.

While all the accused are currently in custodial interrogation and are likely to face prosecution under the Official Secrets Act and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), the larger concern remains — How many more such recruits remain invisible? And what steps are being taken to inoculate India’s youth against the psychological and financial warfare now waged from across the border?