NEW DELHI | AUGUST 28, 2026 : In a major breakthrough for national security, the Special Cell of the Delhi Police on Friday dismantled a sophisticated, Pakistan-backed espionage network operating in the National Capital Region (NCR). A young married couple has been apprehended for allegedly working as foot soldiers for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to compromise sensitive military data.The arrested individuals have been identified as Mohammad Sahil (25), a lawyer’s assistant, and his wife Sameera (21), a former call centre executive. According to senior intelligence officials, the duo had been actively functioning within this cross-border intelligence network since 2024.
The Digital Modus Operandi
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell), Narra Chaitanya, stated that the espionage ring primarily leveraged digital entry points to breach local security setups. Investigations revealed that Sahil and Sameera procured eight active Indian SIM cards and smuggled them to their handlers in Pakistan by routing the packages through Dubai.
“The Pakistani Intelligence Officers (PIOs) used these specific Indian SIM cards to bypass verification systems and activate WhatsApp accounts directly from Pakistan. These accounts were subsequently used to infiltrate local WhatsApp groups and illicitly approach individuals to extract strategic information,” DCP Chaitanya explained.
Targeting Military Establishments
Beyond digital logistical support, investigators discovered that Sahil was tasked with carrying out physical reconnaissance (recce) of various Indian Army Cantonment areas. The couple was also explicitly ordered by their handlers to track down and gather profiling data on Indian Army personnel undergoing court-martial proceedings, looking for potential vulnerabilities to exploit.The initial trail shows that the couple was heavily lured by financial incentives. Forensic finance teams have already intercepted a preliminary transaction of ₹30,000 sent from Pakistan to the couple for the procurement of the communication hardware.
Instagram Trap Under Scanner
The operational module began in 2022 when the two met before their marriage. According to the police, Sameera was first approached on Instagram by an operative posing as an online ‘agent’. After their marriage in 2024, she introduced Sahil to the handler, who later transitioned them to a core PIO operative with promises of massive financial gains.
The Special Cell has seized two mobile phones belonging to the accused, which contain extensive logs of highly incriminating encrypted chats and data transfers with handlers based in Karachi and Islamabad. The police have initiated a broader crackdown across Delhi-NCR to trace local sleeper cells and courier links associated with this ring.
About the Author
