India

Former Indian Army Lance Naik Arrested in Bengal on ISI Espionage Charges

By Pramod Giri

A former Indian Army Lance Naik from Rasulpur village in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district was arrested on Friday in Alipurduar district, north Bengal, on charges of spying for Pakistan’s Inter‑Services Intelligence (ISI). The arrest was carried out by a Punjab police team with assistance from Hasimara police near the India‑Bhutan border, where an Indian Army cantonment is located. The suspect is believed to have worked with an associate who remains at large. Additional public prosecutor Soumitra Sinha Sarkar, who represented the state in court when the suspect was produced, said the Punjab Police followed the ex‑Lance Naik’s trail into Bengal. “He was arrested on charges of spying for the ISI and sharing classified information relating to our Army,” Sarkar said. The additional chief judicial magistrate at the Siliguri court granted a transit remand so the suspect could be taken back to Punjab. The suspect was charged under the Official Secrets Act in the first information report (FIR) registered by the Fazilka police station in Punjab on October 8, according to an anonymous police officer. The case is being handled by authorities in both Punjab and West Bengal.