Madhuri Gupta,Indian Lady Diplomat arrested for counter espionage with Pakistan

A senior Indian diplomat of the level of Second Secretary in the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, has been arrested for passing on Indian state secrets to Pakistan for two years.

IFS Group B officer Madhuri Gupta was working in the press wing of the Indian High Commissioner, according to intelligence sources. It is unlikely that she was a lone spy operating on her own. But there is so far no confirmation of any others arrested or interrogated.

Internal security establishment is extremely cagey about the role of Indian diplomats abroad. The four independent anonymous sources who confirmed this information to TIMES NOW, were reluctant to reveal exactly what kind of information the alleged mole was privy to. However suffice to say for now that the officer may have been on the payrole of the Pakistani establishment, and has been allegedly passing on crucial strategic information belonging to India to Pakistan.

The Ministry of External affairs sources said an official statement to be giving out the complete facts in the case. However sources did mention that Gupta, who is also an Urdu interpreter and a staffer for 30 years who has served in Delhi, Kualalumpur and Islamabad, has confessed to the crime.

This is the first ever case of a senior Indian diplomat being arrested for such a crime. What is more, Indian agencies believe that the 45-year-old is just a part of a massive Pakistani spy ring and there may have been others in the Indian diplomatic establishment also engaged in counter espionage. Currently the exact nature of the inducements to Gupta for her services is not known.

But the revelation is shocking and will have wide ramifications, coming as it does as the SAARC summit is underway at Thimphu and will doubtless have to be taken up with Pakistan at the highest level. The extent of damage done will also have to be assessed.

“She is in the information wing, which is isolated from the political wing and not in the most vital departments and could not have been privy to the most sensitive of documents. However it is a penetration. We earlier had a penetration by East Europeans, but this is a first from Pakistan,” said former MEA Secretary K C Singh reacting to the news.

Gupta was apparently being tracked for nearly a year by the Indian government both in Islamabad and in New Delhi at her residence, before being carefully brought over to India on the excuse of SAARC related work. She was detained in New Delhi 2-4 days ago, interrogated by a special group comprising members of different agencies like the Intelligence Bureau, RAW and Delhi police, before being arrested.

Government sources say Gupta, who was liasoning officer between Indian and other embassies in Islamabad, has risen through the ranks and was engaged in espionage for the Pakistanis for about two years. She has been produced in a local court in East Delhi where she stays, and remanded to 10 days police custody.

“I am not trying to discriminate on the basis of class, but a person who has not been properly trained and brought up in the values of the services can perhaps be more suceptible to foreign inducements easily. Nevertheless, given the fact that all those working in Islamabad know that they are under watch and being targetted by Pakistani intelligence which is on the lookout for chinks – that they were able to penetrate the embassy is shocking,” said Union Minister Kapil Sibal. He said it was imperative to ascertain what information had been leaked.

She was in visa wing of Islamabad liasoning off bet Indian and other embassies in Islamabad. – living in East Delhi, an East Delhi residnce surveillance mounted for the first time. Produced in a hush way in city court, remanded to custody. She has been booked under the Official Secrets Act.

Speaking in the development, TIMES NOW strategic affairs expert Mahroof Raza said, “The Indian government would have found it extremely difficult to hold an Indian officer in the High Commission if she was working for the Pakistani government. She would be having patrons in the Pakistani system who would make it extremely difficult to get her back and put her through legal and administrative proceedings. This is perhaps the first time an Indian diplomat has been caught spying oversdeas and working against Indian interests. This gives a completely different dimension to Pakistan’s desire to know what India is up to on foreign policy.”

Indian diplomat in Pakistan arrested for spying
Times Now, Apr 27, 2010, 03.21pm IST

53-year-old IFS Group B officer Madhuri Gupta was working in the press wing of the Indian High Commission, according to intelligence sources. It is unlikely that she was a lone spy operating on her own. But there is so far no confirmation of any others arrested or interrogated. According to sources, simultaneously, the station head of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) in Islamabad R K Sharma has also come under the scanner, PTI has reported.

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

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

The sources said that the role of Sharma had also come under scanner for allegedly abusing his position and passing information to Gupta. However, it was not clear whether he knew the woman officer’s real designs, the sources said.

The internal security establishment is extremely cagey about the role of Indian diplomats abroad. The four independent anonymous sources, who confirmed this information to TV channel Times Now, were reluctant to reveal exactly what kind of information the alleged mole was privy to. However suffice to say for now that the officer may have been on the pay-role of the Pakistani establishment, and was allegedly passing on crucial strategic information belonging to Pakistan.

The Ministry of External Affairs sources said an official statement will be given out the complete facts in the case. However sources did mention that Gupta, who is also believed to be an Urdu interpreter and a staffer for 30 years who has served in Delhi, Kuala Lumpur and Islamabad, has confessed to the crime.

This is the first-ever case of a senior Indian diplomat being arrested for such a crime. What is more, Indian agencies believe that the 45-year-old is just a part of a massive Pakistani spy ring and there may have been others in the Indian diplomatic establishment also engaged in counter espionage. Currently the exact nature of the inducements to Gupta for her services is not known.

But the revelation is shocking and will have wide ramifications, coming as it does as the SAARC summit is underway at Thimphu in Bhutan and will doubtless have to be taken up with Pakistan at the highest level. The extent of damage done will also have to be assessed.

“She is in the information wing, which is isolated from the political wing and not in the most vital departments and could not have been privy to the most sensitive of documents. However it is a penetration. We earlier had a penetration by East Europeans, but this is a first from Pakistan,” said former MEA secretary K C Singh reacting to the news.

Gupta was apparently being tracked for nearly a year by the Indian government both in Islamabad and in New Delhi at her residence, before being carefully brought over to India on the excuse of SAARC related work. She was detained in New Delhi four days ago, and interrogated by a special group comprising members of different agencies like the Intelligence Bureau, RAW and Delhi police, before being arrested. A court remanded her to further police custody of another five days on Monday.

Government sources say Gupta, who was liaising officer between Indian and other embassies in Islamabad, has risen through the ranks and was engaged in espionage for the Pakistanis for about two years. She has been produced in a local court in East Delhi where she stays, and remanded to 10 days police custody.

“I am not trying to discriminate on the basis of class, but a person who has not been properly trained and brought up in the values of the services can perhaps be more susceptible to foreign inducements easily. Nevertheless, given the fact that all those working in Islamabad know that they are under watch and being targeted by Pakistani intelligence which is on the lookout for chinks – that they were able to penetrate the embassy is shocking,” said Union minister Kapil Sibal. He said it was imperative to ascertain what information had been leaked.

Speaking in the development, Times Now strategic affairs expert Mahroof Raza said, “The Indian government would have found it extremely difficult to hold an Indian officer in the High Commission if she was working for the Pakistani government. She would be having patrons in the Pakistani system who would make it extremely difficult to get her back and put her through legal and administrative proceedings. This is perhaps the first time an Indian diplomat has been caught spying overseas and working against Indian interests. This gives a completely different dimension to Pakistan’s desire to know what India is up to on foreign policy.”