Police arrest two ISI agents from Bijnor
The Uttar Pradesh Police has arrested two ISI agents from the Bijnor district in Western Uttar Pradesh, who were working for the notorious Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan. The duo was found to be in regular touch with a Pakistan-linked, Saudi Arabia-based handler identified as Aqib.
The accused, identified as Uvaid Malik and Jalal, were taken into custody by Bijnor Police following intelligence inputs about their ties to the handler, Aqib. The Circle Officer (CO), Najibabad, Anjani Kumar Chaturvedi, confirmed the arrests of Uvaid and Jalal.
They reportedly confessed during interrogation to being in regular touch with Aqib, a native of Sathla village in Meerut’s Mawana area, now residing in Saudi Arabia. Aqib was recruiting new agents and was actively expanding his network via social media handles.
Aqib was working on a strategy at the behest of his Pakistan-based handlers and was actively involved in spreading inflammatory and radical content to incite young men from his community against Hindus. His modus operandi involved exploiting the social fault lines for promoting enmity towards Hindus. Uvaid Malik and Jalal Haider came into contact with Aqib when they were working in Surat and connected with another associate, Maizul, a native from Bijnor and currently based in South Africa. Investigations have revealed that the handler used sustained digital engagement to build and coordinate with the group across borders.
It may be noted that in November 2025, a video surfaced on Instagram in which Aqib was seen displaying an AK-47 rifle and explosives. An initial local probe by Bijnor Police had dismissed the weapons as toys and filed a closure report.
However, the case turned on its head after the UP Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) got fresh evidence which linked it to a larger network. UP Police top brass initiated departmental proceedings against erring officers, and the then station house officer and investigating officer were suspended while the CO was removed from his post pending enquiry.
On April 2-3, the UP ATS had arrested four other individuals, Saqib alias ‘Devil’, Arbaab, Vikas Gehlawat alias Raunak, and Lokesh alias Papla Pandit alias Sanju from Meerut and Gautam Buddh Nagar for allegedly planning arson on railway infrastructure and conducting reconnaissance of key installations. The Bijnor arrests point to an overseas digital radicalisation arm of the same or a connected network.
Authorities have issued Lookout Circulars (LOCs) against key suspects abroad: Aqib (already facing three LOCs), Maizul (South Africa), Azad (reportedly a driver in Dubai), and another individual named Sameer from Najibabad who is still being traced. Proceedings to cancel the passports of all accused are underway, and the probe has been extended across multiple states in India as well as internationally to map the full digital and cross-border footprint.
A senior official of the UP Police said that Uvaid Malik was planning to flee to Nepal on the advice of his overseas contacts. Investigators are examining their phones and social media accounts for evidence of communication, shared content, and any operational instructions from the handler.
Central security agencies have alerted the state police forces over the use of social media by foreign handlers, often linked to Pakistan’s ISI, to radicalise Indian youth, spread communal discord, and recruit for anti-national activities. UP Police and ATS officials have described it as part of a “wider terror-linked network” being run remotely through digital platforms. The investigation continues, with teams tracking leads both domestically and overseas.
