New Delhi, Sept 10: Delhi Police’s Special Cell (Eastern Range) has busted an espionage module with the arrest of a Nepalese national accused of supplying Indian SIM cards to operatives of Pakistan’s spy agency, officials said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Prabhat Kumar Chaurasiya (43), a resident of Birgunj, Nepal, was apprehended from Laxmi Nagar’s Vijay Block on August 28 after specific intelligence input.
During interrogation, Chaurasiya admitted to procuring 16 SIM cards using his Aadhaar credentials, of which 11 were traced to social media communication platforms operated from Lahore, Bahawalpur, and other parts of Pakistan. Police recovered digital devices and multiple SIM envelopes during the raids.
Investigations revealed that the accused came into contact with ISI handlers in 2024 through a Nepali intermediary. He was allegedly promised a US visa and overseas job opportunities in exchange for supplying Indian SIMs and gathering sensitive details about DRDO and Army establishments.
Chaurasiya reportedly obtained SIMs from telecom outlets in Bihar and Maharashtra, activated them with his Aadhaar registered in Latur (Maharashtra), and then smuggled them to Kathmandu. From there, the SIMs were handed over to Pakistan intelligence handlers.
According to police, the social media accounts linked to these SIMs were being used by Pakistani operatives to approach Indian Army personnel and pursue espionage-related objectives.
Originally from Nepal, Chaurasiya completed his schooling there before pursuing higher education in Bihar and obtaining a B.Sc. in IT along with a diploma in computer hardware and networking. Professionally, he worked in the pharmaceutical sector across multiple Indian cities before starting a logistics company in Kathmandu in 2017, which eventually failed.
Police said financial desperation and his desire to settle abroad pushed him towards cooperating with ISI operatives.
A case has been registered under Sections 61(2)/152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Special Cell Police Station, Delhi. Further investigation is underway to identify his associates, the courier network, and the handlers behind the module.
