8 ex-servicemen arrested for spying for Pakistan

NEW DELHI: Eight ex-servicemen have been arrested by police for their alleged involvement in spying activities at the behest of Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIOs) in last three years, Rajya Sabha was informed today.

"These ex-servicemen have been contacted by PIOs under various assumed identities on the pretext of providing jobs, scholarship, monetary consideration," Minister of State for Home Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary said in reply to a written question.

Chaudhary said PIOs are adopting the modus operandi of tasking ex-servicemen to gather information through their casual contact with serving personnel.

Service personnel and ex-servicemen are regularly being educated on the modus operandi of foreign intelligence operatives.

The government has been pursuing a well-coordinated and multi-pronged approach to tackle the activities of ISI which include strengthening vigilance on the borders to check infiltration, gearing up the intelligence machinery to interdict Pakistani agents besides others, he said.