Indian Embassy Staffer Held for Alleged Espionage, Remanded to Judicial Custody

A court in Lucknow has remanded an Indian embassy staffer arrested for allegedly spying for Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI to judicial custody until February 7, 2024.

The Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of the Uttar Pradesh Police stated on Sunday that they had apprehended Satendra Siwal, a resident of Hapur district as he failed to provide satisfactory answers and confessed to his crime.

Siwal has been serving as an IBSA (India-Based Security Assistant) at the Indian embassy in Moscow since 2021.

An FIR was filed at the ATS police station in Gomtinagar on February 3 against Siwal under section 121A (waging war against the country) of the IPC and sections 3, 5, and 9 of the Official Secrets Act.

The accused was brought before the court of Additional Session Judge VS Tripathi, who ordered him to judicial custody.

The ATS reiterated on Sunday that Siwal could not provide satisfactory answers during his interrogation and confessed to his crime.

It was stated that Siwal had provided confidential information regarding the strategic activities of the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of External Affairs, and the Indian military establishments to the ISI in exchange for money.