In a chilling reminder of rising espionage threats, Uttar Pradesh Police’s Special Task Force (STF) on Sunday, May 19, arrested a Rampur-based businessman, Shahzad, for allegedly spying for Pakistan’s notorious Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and aiding cross-border smuggling networks.

Shahzad was apprehended in Moradabad after actionable intelligence revealed his suspected involvement in a web of espionage and illegal trade. According to an official STF statement, Shahzad had made several trips to Pakistan under the pretext of business, but “these visits were used to build and maintain contacts with ISI handlers.”

The STF said that Shahzad played a crucial role in smuggling goods—including cosmetics, garments, and spices—across the border. These items allegedly served as a façade for covert operations involving the illegal transfer of information. More seriously, he is accused of passing sensitive national security data to ISI-linked agents in India.

“Shahzad was found to be providing money and Indian SIM cards to ISI-linked operatives in India,” the STF report stated.

In a more disturbing revelation, officials disclosed that Shahzad allegedly facilitated the travel of several individuals from Uttar Pradesh to Pakistan, with ISI operatives reportedly arranging their visas. “These individuals are believed to have been recruited for intelligence-gathering activities,” said an STF official involved in the probe.

This arrest follows the recent detention of Haryana-based YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who is also under investigation for alleged espionage. Malhotra, who runs the channel ‘Travel with JO,’ reportedly maintained contact with a staff member of the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi and had uploaded multiple videos from her Pakistan visit. Her digital trail reportedly raised alarms among central intelligence agencies.

These back-to-back arrests come in the wake of the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed 26 lives and further strained India-Pakistan relations.