NIA arrests Kolkata resident on espionage charges

The NIA has arrested a Kolkata resident who was allegedly involved in passing confidential security information to Pakistani intelligence officers. | Photo credit: Sushil Kumar Verma

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a Kolkata resident who was allegedly involved in passing confidential security information to Pakistan’s Intelligence Officers (PIO), the agency said on Wednesday (May 20, 2026).

The accused has been identified as Zafar Riaz alias Rizvi against whom a Look Out Circular had earlier been issued and proceedings have been initiated to declare him as a proclaimed offender. He was married to a Pakistani national, with their children also being Pakistani citizens, it was claimed.

“Zafar, previously convicted in a case of espionage under the IPC (Indian Penal Code) and the Official Secrets Act, traveled frequently between India and Pakistan since 2005,” the NIA said.

In a case registered by the NIA’s Delhi unit in December 2025, the agency found that he was allegedly contacted and groomed by a PIO to carry out espionage activities in India “in lieu of financial incentives and the promise of Pakistani citizenship”.

“To facilitate other spy and terrorist agents, the accused provided one-time passwords (OTPs) of Indian Telecom mobile numbers to PIOs to help him activate WhatsApp accounts. The alleged PIO used these accounts to secretly communicate with one Moti Ram Jat, also an accused in this case. Jat was also involved in passing classified security-related information to the PIOs who were further involved in the investigation,” the PIO said.

In May 2025, the NIA conducted searches at 15 locations in Delhi, Maharashtra (Mumbai), Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Assam and West Bengal. The same month, she arrested the then Central Reserve Police Force Assistant Sub-Inspector Moti Ram Jat, who was dismissed from service. Allegedly, since 2023, he has been passing on information to the PIO.

Published – 20 May 2026 22:52 IST