Kangra: The Himachal Pradesh Police have arrested a 20-year-old youth from Kangra district on charges of espionage and acting against the sovereignty and integrity of India. The accused, identified as Abhishek Bhardwaj, is a resident of Sukahar village and a college dropout.
According to police officials, Bhardwaj was allegedly spying for Pakistan and was under surveillance for several days before being taken into custody on May 28. The arrest was made following a specific tip-off, which led to the formation of a police team under the leadership of Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Dadasiba, Raj Kumar.
The team had been monitoring the suspect’s movements and online activities over the past several days to verify the intelligence inputs.
During the raid, police seized Bhardwaj’s mobile phone, which reportedly contained “objectionable and suspicious content,” raising serious national security concerns.Following his detention, he was shifted to the Dehra Police Station for interrogation.
Superintendent of Police (SP), Dehra, Mayank Chaudhary, confirmed that Bhardwaj has been booked under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to acts endangering the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of the nation. “His actions are deemed to be directly harmful to national interests, and a detailed investigation is underway,” said Chaudhary.
The accused is expected to be presented before a local court today, where the police will seek his custody to conduct further interrogation and gather more evidence regarding his alleged links with Pakistani handlers.
Sources indicate that the authorities are also probing whether Bhardwaj was working as part of a larger network and whether any sensitive information had already been transmitted across the border.
This arrest comes amid heightened vigilance across various states, with multiple incidents reported recently of individuals allegedly involved in sharing sensitive information with Pakistani intelligence agencies.
Similar cases were reported from Gujarat and Varanasi, where accused individuals were found to be part of espionage and anti-national activities.
The Himachal Pradesh Police have appealed to the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious behavior to law enforcement agencies.
