MEA official arrested on spying charges

NEW DELHI: A second secretary-level diplomat working in the Indian High Commission in Islamabad has been arrested here for allegedly passing on information to Pakistani intelligence agencies.

A promotee officer of Ministry of External Affairs, 53-year-old Madhuri Gupta, was arrested here four days back after she was summoned to Delhi on the pretext of discussions on the current SAARC summit meeting held in Thimpu, Bhutan, the sources said.

The officer, working in the Mission for nearly three years, is alleged to have been passing on information from the Mission to her contacts in ISI till her movements came under surveillance of Intelligence Bureau sleuths.

Home Secretary G.K. Pillai said Gupta had been passing information to Pakistani agencies. “She has been arrested,” he said.

The sources said Gupta is alleged to have been taking information from the RAW station head in Islamabad, which was passed to the Pakistani spy agencies.

Gupta, who was arrested upon her arrival four days ago, was produced again before a court on Monday, which has remanded her to further police custody for another five days.

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