Early Times Report
Jammu, May 28: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is intensifying its probe into the possible connections of arrested Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Moti Ram Jat to the deadly Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 civilian lives, mostly Hindu tourists, on April 22, 2025. Jat, who was stationed with the CRPF’s 116th Battalion in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, was arrested in Delhi for allegedly spying for Pakistan since 2023.
According to NIA officials, Jat was involved in sharing sensitive operational intelligence with Pakistani Intelligence Officers (PIOs), including details on the movement patterns of Indian security forces and locations of key military installations, in exchange for monetary compensation. Sources revealed that Jat received Rs 3,000 per month from a foreign account, which raised red flags during routine CRPF monitoring of personnel social media activity. The CRPF confirmed that Jat’s actions violated established norms and protocols, leading to his immediate dismissal from service on May 21, 2025, under relevant provisions of the Constitution of India and CRPF Rules.
Jat’s suspicious activities came to light while he was still posted in Pahalgam, just six days before his transfer to Delhi and the subsequent terror attack in the Baisaran Valley. Reports indicate that Pakistani operatives, posing as a woman, contacted Jat via social media to extract c Jat, stationed with the CRPF’s 116th Battalion in Pahalgam, was arrested in Delhi for allegedly spying for Pakistan since 2023.
According to NIA officials, Jat was involved in sharing sensitive operational intelligence with Pakistani Intelligence Officers.
Jat received Rs 3,000 per month from a foreign account, which raised red flags during routine CRPF monitoring.
The CRPF confirmed that Jat’s actions violated established norms and protocols, leading to his immediate dismissal from service.
This arrest follows a broader crackdown on espionage activities, with 13 individuals, including YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra from Haryana and Guzala from Punjab, detained across Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh over the past two weeks. Both women were allegedly in contact with Ehsan-ur-Rahim, alias Danish, a Pakistani High Commission staffer expelled by India on May 13 for espionage. Malhotra, a prominent influencer with 3.77 lakh YouTube subscribers and 1.33 lakh Instagram followers, is among those under investigation for links to Pakistani handlers.
The Pahalgam attack, attributed to The Resistance Front (TRF), a suspected offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba, has heightened tensions between India and Pakistan. Indian authorities have linked the attack to operatives in Muzaffarabad and Karachi, with forensic evidence suggesting Pakistan’s involvement. The NIA’s ongoing investigation into Jat’s activities is part of a larger effort to dismantle a Pakistan-linked spy network active in northern India, especially in the wake of India’s counter-terror Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7, 2025. |
