Pathankot, Jan 6: Punjab Police on Monday said they had arrested a 15-year-old boy for allegedly passing on security-related information to Pakistan-based operatives, including individuals linked to terror networks and organised crime.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pathankot Daljinder Singh Dhillon said the minor had been under the influence of Pakistani handlers for nearly a year before being detained.
“Based on credible intelligence, we have arrested a 15-year-old who was supplying information concerning national security to organisations linked with the ISI and Pakistan military officers,” Dhillon said while briefing the media.
Police said the teenager was contacted through social media platforms and gradually persuaded to send videos of sensitive locations. Investigators found that he was also in communication with gangsters operating from Pakistan who were running a terror module.
“The accused was emotionally disturbed and believed that his father had been murdered. This belief made him more susceptible to manipulation,” Dhillon said. “Our investigation has found no evidence to support the claim that his father was killed.”
According to the SSP, the minor recorded and transmitted several videos as instructed by his handlers. “He shared videos of different locations and remained in touch with Pakistan-based terror groups for almost a year,” he said.
Authorities said efforts are now focused on tracing the full extent of the network and determining whether the minor was acting alone or was assisted locally.
The case comes against the backdrop of recent counter-terror operations in Punjab’s border districts. On December 2, Punjab Police, with assistance from central and state agencies, uncovered an international terror module backed by Pakistan’s intelligence establishment.
DIG Border Range Sandeep Goyal had said the group was planning multiple attacks intended to inflame communal tensions. “The module was led by terrorist Shahzad Bhatti, along with Zeeshan Akhtar and Amandeep Singh alias Aman Pannu,” he had said.
The network had already carried out a grenade attack on a police station in Gurdaspur and was preparing another strike, which was prevented with the arrest of two operatives and seizure of weapons, police said.
