Health worker in Gujarat arrested for ‘spying’ for Pakistan intelligence

According to ATS officials, Gohil came in contact with Bharadwaj via WhatsApp in

mid-2023. In a press briefing Saturday, ATS officials said Bharadwaj identified herself as an agent of the Pakistani intelligence services and instructed Gohil to supply imagery of security installations — some still under construction, others newly completed — belonging to the BSF and Navy in the Kutch region.

By early 2025, Gohil had reportedly acquired a new SIM card using his Aadhaar identification and activated WhatsApp on the device, which he then passed along to Bharadwaj. ATS officials said he continued to send her classified material via that channel. He also allegedly received `40,000 through an intermediary in exchange for the information.

The ATS detained Gohil on May 1 following an investigation involving both technical surveillance and human intelligence inputs, corroborated by central intelligence agencies. He has since been formally arrested. Both Gohil and Aditi Bharadwaj were charged under Sections 61 (criminal conspiracy) and 148 (waging war against the government) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Authorities were unable to immediately determine the extent of the breach, as significant data had been deleted from Gohil’s phone, which has now been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory for analysis.

An ATS official noted a troubling trend in recent months, in which Pakistani operatives, often posing as women on social media, have allegedly recruited Indian nationals by exploiting personal vulnerabilities or offering financial incentives. “These people (Pakistanis) have a database and they try to reach out to a wide range of people,” the officer said. “Some vulnerable people fall into the trap. In several cases like in Porbandar as well, these people were well aware of whom they were sending this sensitive information to.”

The Kutch arrest follows two other espionage-related cases in Gujarat over the past eight months. On November 29, 2024, ATS officers arrested Dipesh Batuk Gohel, a resident of Arambhada in Devbhoomi Dwarka district. Gohel, who worked for three years on Indian Coast Guard vessels at the Okha jetty, allegedly sent classified details about those ships to a Facebook contact named “Sahima”, who claimed to be a Pakistani naval officer. He reportedly received `42,000 for the information.

Earlier, on October 26, 2024, ATS officials arrested Pankaj Kotiya in Porbandar for relaying sensitive information on Indian Coast Guard ship movements to a Pakistan-based woman “Riya”. Kotiya had allegedly been paid `26,000 through multiple bank accounts.