Pakistan using WhatsApp-based espionage trick to target CAPF personnel: Report

New Delhi: Indian security agencies have issued an urgent advisory after uncovering a new WhatsApp-based espionage tactic allegedly deployed by Pakistan-based intelligence operatives to infiltrate communication groups of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), News18 reported.

Sources told News18 that operatives have been approaching CAPF officers on WhatsApp while posing as senior officials, technical support staff or known contacts. After maintaining conversations for a few days, the operatives share a group-joining link or code, claiming it is for an official coordination group or a personal chat.

In a recently detected case, once an officer entered such a group, his phone was infected with Trojan-type malware, giving the hostile operative remote access to phone data and visibility into other WhatsApp groups.

Exploiting the “add other members” feature enabled in one official group, the infiltrator allegedly managed to introduce multiple unknown numbers into several communication channels without the knowledge of the actual admin.

Additionally, the advisory reportedly warns that hostile operatives are increasingly creating accounts using display photos of known officers or impersonating personnel from training establishments, logistics divisions or sister agencies to appear more credible.

Amid this heightened alert, the National Investigation Agency on Tuesday arrested a Faridabad resident for allegedly harbouring Dr Umar-un Nabi, who drove the explosive-laden car that detonated outside the Red Fort on November 10, killing 15 people.

An NIA spokesperson said Soyab, a resident of Dhauj in Faridabad, was arrested for “providing logistical support to terrorist Umar Un Nabi” before the Delhi terror blast. He is the seventh accused held in connection with what investigators describe as a “white-collar” terror module earlier busted by the Jammu and Kashmir Police.

“The agency continues to pursue various leads in connection with the suicide bombing, and has been conducting searches across states in coordination with the respective police forces in a bid to identify and track others involved in the gruesome attack,” the spokesperson said.