After 17 years as an Indian citizen, man of Pakistani origin arrested in Gujarat on espionage charges

The man arrived in India in 1999 and established himself as a successful businessman

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A man of Pakistani origin who had been living in India as a citizen for 17 years has been arrested by the country’s anti-terrorism squad on espionage charges.

Labhshankar Duryodhan Maheshwari, 53, was arrested for allegedly helping Pakistani agents access an Indian SIM card, which they used to hack the phones of Indian defence personnel’s wards in Army schools, according to Indian media.

While espionage between India and Pakistan has a long history, considering the complex geopolitical relationship between the two countries, Maheshwari’s case stands out because he lived in India for 17 years, obtaining Indian citizenship in 2006.

According to the Indian Express newspaper, Maheshwari arrived at Tarapur town in India’s Gujarat state in 1999 with his wife for “fertility treatment” and stayed on, establishing himself as a successful businessman.

“He applied for a long-term visa, and with the support of his in-laws, he established himself as a successful businessman, running a grocery store and renting out multiple stores and a house in Tarapur,” defence sources told the newspaper.

In 2022, he visited his parents in Pakistan and the agency believes he was “cultivated” by Pakistani agents during the processing of his Pakistani visa, the newspaper reported.

After his return to India, the anti-terror squad [ATS] alleges, he facilitated the delivery of a SIM card registered in the name of a Jamnagar resident, Mohammad Saqlain Umar Tahim, to a Pakistan embassy contact.

His arrest came on the back of specific intelligence from the Military Intelligence (MI) that Pakistani operatives were using an Indian SIM card to target Indian defence personnel.

“An unknown man connected with Ramwani (Maheshwari’s cousin) told Maheshwari that his sister would get her visa, but she would also receive a SIM card in which she needs to activate her WhatsApp and send the OTP (one-time password) to him,” Om Prakash Jat, superintendent of police, ATS, told The Indian Express.

“The man also told Maheshwari that after the visa process is done, and his sister goes to Pakistan, she needs to bring the SIM card with her.”

Maheshwari has been booked for espionage and under sections of the Information Technology Act. He was remanded to seven-day custody, the ATS said.