Loyalty for Sale: How India’s Secrets Are Being Sold in Bytes

By: Salil Gewali

Why does Pakistan evoke such deep anger in the hearts of Indians? It is because, for several decades, Pakistan has allegedly conspired with various fundamentalist groups to harm India. It didn’t even pause to think twice before grooming hard-headed terror forces on its soil. With no fear of consequences, it kept sending indoctrinated fundamentalists across the Indian border -- brutally killing innocent Indian citizens. One wonders, how long do we Indians have to tolerate such barbaric atrocities? How many more such diabolic tragedies must we witness before the world truly listens and empathizes with the citizens of India? From a moral standpoint, if a nation poses a serious threat to humanity, then the countries supporting that nation -- be it the USA, China, Turkey, or Bangladesh, are equally culpable and can be branded as “inhumane.” It is indeed a terrible curse for India to have such a neighbour.

Yes, what hurts even more is when the country is “betrayed” by our own citizens. Honestly, how low can someone stoop? Since Operation Sindoor, many have been caught red-handed spying for Pakistan. Some have unremorsefully been sharing sensitive information, quietly supporting hostile forces. A few others even seemed to revel in taking selfies and going around with key persons linked to terrorist groups. Worse, some even sang parody songs and expressed sympathy for Pakistan while mocking the present ruling government and India’s efforts to defend itself.

What can one say about the alarming fact that so many Indian citizens have already been arrested for allegedly being involved in various treasonous activities, such as sharing highly sensitive information—ranging from defence secrets and army movements to strategic locations—with Pakistan?

In a shocking incident, an 18-year-old, Jasim Shahnawaz Ansari, from Nadiad, Gujarat, was arrested by Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) for launching cyberattacks on Indian government websites. Ansari, along with a like-minded accomplice, ran a Telegram group called “AnonSec,” where they planned and carried out Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks. These attacks targeted websites of Indian government sectors such as defence, finance, aviation, urban development, and various state departments, temporarily bringing them down and disrupting services, while also posting anti-India propaganda. To execute his plan, he taught himself Python programming via YouTube, downloaded hacking tools from GitHub, and used mobile apps like Termux and Pydroid to carry out the attacks. After successful attacks, Ansari posted screenshots and provocative anti-India messages in the AnonSec group, such as “Hi, India, we just took down your shield and servers” and “India may have started it, but we will be the ones to finish it.”

Jyoti Malhotra, a 33-year-old travel influencer and YouTuber from Haryana, also allegedly collaborated with Pakistani agents. She never gave a second thought to sharing sensitive information via WhatsApp, Telegram, and Snapchat with a staff member of Pakistan's embassy. In order to fulfil her assignments, she visited Pakistan multiple times. She also allegedly passed on data about troop movement and visited Pahalgam before the April 22 attack. She is among 12 people arrested from Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh on suspicion of espionage. Jyoti Malhotra was in direct contact with at least four Pakistani intelligence operatives, including Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, a staffer at the Pakistani High Commission who was expelled from India for espionage in May 2025.

Sukhpreet Singh, a 19-year-old school dropout and the son of a firewood seller from Gurdaspur, Punjab, along with his friend Karanbir Singh, a 20-year-old alleged drug smuggler, collaborated to share classified details about security forces, troop movements, and strategic locations in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir with the ISI. Both received significant sums of money from ISI operatives.

Similarly, Mohammad Kasim of Gangora village in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, with a criminal background, passed on sensitive and offensive material to Pakistani agents. A large amount of classified content was found on his phone. Kasim was in direct contact with ISI handlers in Pakistan, especially a handler named Danish, who also had links with other Indian agents such as YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra. It is Kasim who, from time to time, supplied Indian SIM cards to ISI agents, enabling them to communicate securely and lure Indian citizens into sharing sensitive information about Indian Army movements and government officials.

It may also be mentioned that the vigilant Assam Police have arrested almost 73 individuals, including an MLA, so far for allegedly supporting Pakistan or engaging in activities that led to sedition charges following Operation Sindoor. In this regard, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma deserves praise for his bold leadership and political foresight.

What if your grown-up son befriended and got very close to the next-door neighbor, who is morbidly unscrupulous and harbors deep malice toward your family? Would you still accept it if he shared all your family weaknesses, also handing over the keys to the treasure safe, and leaving you all completely vulnerable to being robbed? What would be your honest answer? Such betrayal would feel like a wound from within — deep and devastating.

Haven’t these individuals, through their actions, endangered every Indian by compromising national security? They live on this soil and enjoy the freedoms and benefits this country offers, yet work in the shadows to weaken the very shield that protects them. Is it not like eating from the kitchen while drilling holes in the roof during a storm?

A wise philosopher once said, even if a stranger gives you shelter for just one night, you should be “thankful” to that family for the rest of your life. Life lived without “gratitude” is a life lived in vain. When gratitude fades from a person, they become susceptible to various worldly impurities. Sadly, how do we make sense of citizens who feel no regret in betraying their own country—the very nation that shelters them, feeds them, nurtures them, educates them, and vows to protect them from all kinds of harm for life?

At this critical juncture, when the country’s safety and sovereignty are under threat due to seditious elements within, we must remain especially vigilant. Even top opposition leaders like Shashi Tharoor, Supriya Sule and Asaduddin Owaisi are coming together to alert the people about those working against the nation. Nothing is a greater “betrayal” than cozying up to an enemy country that calls terrorists sweethearts.

About Author: A writer and researcher based in India, Salil Gewali is best known for his research-based work, Great Minds on India, which has earned worldwide appreciation. His book has been translated into fifteen languages – with a preface by a world-acclaimed NASA Chief Scientist, Dr. Kamlesh Lulla of Houston, USA. Gewali is also a member of the International Human Rights Commission, Zürich, Switzerland.