LUCKNOW – The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) on Thursday arrested a 45-year-old man from Varanasi for allegedly being part of a Pakistan-backed espionage network aimed at undermining India’s internal security and sovereignty.
The accused, identified as Tufail Alam, a resident of J-15/107, Doshipura in Varanasi’s Jaitpura area, was taken into custody from Adampur, a locality in the holy city.
According to ATS officials, Alam had joined multiple WhatsApp groups run by Pakistan-based handlers and was actively sharing sensitive information related to India’s security infrastructure. Investigators claim he was in direct contact with numerous Pakistani nationals, including members of the banned terrorist outfit Tehreek-e-Labbaik.
Officials said Alam circulated radical content, including videos of extremist cleric Maulana Saad Rizvi and messages inciting support for ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’—a concept tied to Islamic conquest narratives—calls for revenge over the Babri Masjid demolition, and the enforcement of Sharia law in India.
Alam also allegedly transmitted photographs and information about key strategic and religious sites such as Raj Ghat, Namo Ghat, Gyanvapi mosque, railway stations, Jama Masjid, Red Fort, and Nizamuddin Dargah to contacts in Pakistan.
The ATS further stated that Alam had shared group links with other locals, thereby expanding the network’s reach within Varanasi. He was reportedly in contact with more than 600 Pakistani phone numbers, including a woman named Nafisa from Faisalabad, whose husband serves in the Pakistan Army.
An FIR has been filed at the ATS police station in Lucknow under Sections 148 and 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Alam is expected to be presented before the competent court for further legal proceedings.
