The Special Cell of the Delhi Police has dismantled a cross-border espionage network patronized by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), taking a Delhi-based husband and wife into custody for their alleged covert operations on behalf of Pakistan-based handlers dating back to 2024.

Officials identified the suspects as 25-year-old Sahil and his 21-year-old wife, Sameera. Authorities stated that the pair maintained active communication channels with Pakistani intelligence operatives, playing an instrumental role in procuring, collating, and transmitting critical intelligence about Indian state and defense apparatuses.

According to investigative findings reported by news organizations covering the operation, such as The Indian Express and India Today, the investigative trail runs directly from Delhi across international borders into key Pakistani cities, including Karachi and Islamabad. Handlers operating from these hubs systematically transferred financial compensation to the couple to incentivize their cooperation.

Domestic SIM cards routed to Pakistan

Investigators from the Special Cell revealed that between 2024 and 2025, Sahil and Sameera sourced eight Indian SIM cards and routed them through an intermediate transit hub in Dubai before they reached Pakistan.

The couple received a payment of approximately Rs 30,000 from their Pakistani handlers for obtaining and dispatching the communication hardware. Once delivered across the border, Pakistani intelligence operatives used these phone numbers to register and activate WhatsApp accounts. Because the accounts carried verified Indian phone credentials, operatives used them as a digital cover to establish contact with citizens across India and solicit sensitive defense and security information without raising immediate suspicion.

The police investigation further revealed that several of these activated WhatsApp accounts were used to infiltrate active Indian messaging groups. This unauthorized digital access allowed foreign operatives to monitor real-time communications and glean sensitive information exchanged inside the groups.

The forensic investigation uncovered a wider operational matrix involving direct interactions between Pakistan-based controllers and local assets inside India, specifically overground workers and sleeper-cell personnel. The operatives relied on encrypted digital messaging platforms and mainstream social media networks to coordinate these domestic interactions securely.

Surveillance and reconnaissance of defense installations

According to police filings, Sahil was assigned specific field reconnaissance assignments targeting cantonment areas across various parts of India.

Investigators suspect he was tasked with scouting, vetting, and recruiting prospective local assets capable of undertaking broader espionage tasks and field missions.

The Special Cell's probe revealed that Sahil collected and transmitted specialized intelligence concerning Indian Army personnel who were facing ongoing court-martial proceedings before military tribunals.

The operational details gathered by investigators show that the spy ring went well beyond generic data collection. Instead, the network conducted targeted intelligence gathering to extract highly classified details regarding Indian military bases, personnel records, and strategic defense activities.

Social media connection paved way into espionage network

The operational crackdown began with the initial apprehension of Sahil from Chand Bibi Camp, located in the Sarai Kale Khan area of South East Delhi.

A detailed technical and forensic examination of Sahil's mobile device extracted message histories and communications with Pakistan-based intelligence operatives. These digital footprints led investigators directly to Sameera's active involvement in the espionage module.

Sameera was arrested shortly thereafter. A forensic analysis of her seized mobile phone revealed extensive WhatsApp message records connecting her, Sahil, and their Pakistan-based handlers.

Investigative records indicate that Sahil established his initial link with a Pakistani operative in 2024 through Instagram, a connection first initiated and facilitated by Sameera.

The initial Pakistani contact introduced the couple to an intelligence operative within Pakistan's state apparatus. This operative systematically cultivated the couple, persuading them to work actively for the spy apparatus in exchange for recurring financial payouts.

As the relationship developed, the couple took on expanded operational responsibilities, including managing ground logistics in Delhi and identifying potential local recruits for intelligence collection and field operations.

Law enforcement officers seized two mobile phones from the arrested pair. Forensic teams extracted conversations with foreign intelligence officers along with stored details regarding contacts and planned domestic operations.

Background of Sahil and Sameera

Sahil, born in 2001, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree completed through the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). Police records show that he previously worked as an assistant to a practicing advocate and harbored ambitions of pursuing an LLB degree. He stepped down from his job at the legal practice in June 2025 and remained unemployed until the time of his arrest.

Sameera, born in 2005, completed her senior secondary education (Class 12) at the Kanya Vidyalaya located in Keshav Puram before earning a Bachelor of Arts degree through correspondence. Before her arrest, she worked as an employee at a commercial call center in Noida.

Intelligence regarding ground logistics sparked initial investigation

The Special Cell initiated the counter-espionage probe after receiving specific intelligence inputs about local logistic support networks aiding terrorist groups, overground workers, and active sleeper modules.

During the initial phase of the operation, counter-intelligence officers identified domestic facilitators who were helping Pakistani handlers acquire active Indian SIM cards and build communication channels with individuals inside India.

Police noted that the arrests of Sahil and Sameera provided intelligence officials with actionable leads into the Pakistan-based spy infrastructure, illuminating its recruitment tactics, local contact points, and support network within the country.

The investigation remains active, with security agencies analyzing financial transaction records, archived digital logs, and domestic contact chains to trace any other sensitive data that may have been gathered or transmitted.