After Maoists, Counter-Intelligence is top priority for Modi government

The seven suspects linked to the March 2026 arrest wave, including Van Dyke and the Ukrainian nationals, were remanded to 30-day judicial custody on April 6, 2026.

Matthew Aaron Van Dyke, founder of private mercenary firm Sons of Liberty International (SOLI), was arrested at Kolkata airport on March 13, 2026. Six Ukrainian nationals were arrested at Lucknow and Delhi airports the same day. They conducted training for ethnic armed groups in drone operations, assembly and jamming technology. They were charged under UAPA Section 18 (Terror Conspiracy) and remanded to 30 days’ judicial custody on April 6, 2026.

Two Chinese intelligence operatives, Wu Hailong and Seng Jun Yong, were arrested in Madhubani, Bihar near the Indo-Nepal border. Anti-India and pro-Khalistan videos were recovered from their devices, and interrogations began soon after.

Ansarul Mian Ansari, a Nepali-origin Pakistani spy, was arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell in Central Delhi. He was tasked by ISI to compile a CD of confidential Army documents for transmission to Pakistan. He had previously worked as a cab driver in Qatar; the operation spanned January–March 2025 and involved central agencies.

Pakistan's ISI ran a sophisticated surveillance network inside India, planting disguised solar-powered SIM-enabled CCTV cameras at high-security locations (including Delhi Cantonment and Pune railway stations). The cameras streamed live feeds to ISI handlers in Pakistan via WhatsApp. UP Police and central agencies dismantled the operation, with about 15 arrests. The network was estimated at 20 to 25 members, with foreign-recruited handlers involved.

A Chinese national was arrested by Uttar Pradesh Police and the SSB for espionage along the Indo-Nepal border. The case involved photographs of Indian Army installations and references to trips to Pakistan, reinforcing a pattern of Chinese operatives using the Indo-Nepal corridor.

The NIA filed a chargesheet in the Meer Balaj Khan navy espionage case in June 2023, detailing the network and arrests connected to the case first registered in January 2021. The proceedings underscored cross-state CI actions tied to naval security.

Wang Goujun, a Chinese national, entered India through Nepal and conducted reconnaissance of critical installations in Delhi. He was arrested at the Gauriphanta-Nepal border in Lakhimpur Kheri and charged under IPC Section 121 (waging war against the Government of India). He was 26 years old at the time.

Three Chinese nationals were arrested in 2023 for infiltrating India through Nepal using fake Nepali identities and fraudulent Indian passports. Indian intelligence agencies suspected a broader Chinese operation involving Nepali agents.

Delhi Police and central agencies arrested individuals linked to deep cover identity fraud and related espionage plots, with the entry listed as Deep Cover Identity Fraud, Delhi, Arrested October 2022.

Pakistani national Meer Balaj Khan allegedly ran an espionage network leaking sensitive and classified Indian Navy information. The case was originally registered in January 2021 by the Counter Intelligence Cell, Andhra Pradesh, in Visakhapatnam. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) took over in June 2023, and arrests in the case reached eight across Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala.