MEA confirms arrest of official on spying charges

The External Affairs Ministry has acknowledged the arrest of one of its officials posted in Islamabad on charges of spying for Pakistan. “We have reason to believe an official at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad had been passing on information to Pakistan intelligence agencies. The matter is currently under investigation. The official is co-operating with our investigations and enquiries are on,’’ Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vishnu Prakash told newspersons here on Tuesday.

Officials, however, declined to answer any more queries on grounds of national security.

Colleagues recalled the alleged spy Madhuri Gupta as a dynamic official who had put in nearly three decades of service and hoped her arrest was a mistake.

A Second Secretary at the High Commission, Gupta specialised in Urdu and was entrusted with translating Pakistani periodicals and newspapers in that language into English. Sources maintained that the official had been under surveillance for some time.