WhatsApp chats have confirmed contact between 7 defence personnel and PIO, police said (Representational)
A Ludhiana man working for a female Pakistan Intelligence Operative to honey trap defence personnel for her was arrested on Monday, said police.
Ludhiana Police Commissioner Naunihal Singh said Jaswinder Singh of village Uchi Daud was arrested on secret inputs provided by Air Force Intelligence Unit, Jodhpur.
During the investigation by the Ludhiana police, Jaswinder Singh was found in active contact with the PIO who had introduced herself as Jasleen Brar from Bathinda.
During his questioning, the arrested accused revealed that this operative had been "using WhatsApp number activated through OTP provided by Jaswinder Singh to honey trap Army personnel."
WhatsApp chats have confirmed contact between seven defence personnel and the PIO, he said.
The WhatsApp chats are being further analysed, the Ludhiana CP said.
He said it has also been confirmed that PIO has managed to get entry into two WhatsApp groups of defence personnel namely "Western cmd mutual posting" and "MES information update".
"PIO being a member of these groups was monitoring these chats to cultivate or honey trap new personnel through social engineering," he said.
Jaswinder Singh had also received Rs 10,000 from PIO in his bank account via the "Phone Pe" app.
On the PIO's instructions, he had further transferred this money to a bank account in Pune in Maharashtra.
The police also intercepted the PIO's audio messages asking Jaswinder Singh to go to Jaipur Bus Stand and receive a CD from someone, the CP said, adding this information is being verified.
Jaswinder had allegedly provided three numbers to the PIO for WhatsApp usage.
Further investigations were underway, he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)