'RAW' operative arrested in AJK's Rawalakot

RAWALAKOT: Rawalakot, Azad Kashmir police have arrested a suspected local Indian spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) operative, involved in recording sensitive installations and locations.

Speaking at a news conference, Inspector General (IG) of Azad Kashmir Police, Capt. (Retd.) Liaqat Ali Malik, said that suspected Indian spy Muhammad Irfan is a resident of District Haveli Kahuta, Azad Kashmir, and was arrested by police in Rawalakot while filming a sensitive installation.

He added that Irfan was sending sensitive information to a hostile country through a social media network. The alleged RAW agent also targeted innocent people.

In his video confession statement to the police, the suspected RAW operative claimed that he was lured into sharing sensitive information and later blackmailed by an individual he met on social media.

According to his account, the incident began in June 2025 when he befriended a man named Shahid on Facebook, who claimed to be based in Lahore and working in online surveys.

Shahid allegedly offered him a simple mobile-based job, promising easy earnings.

He further stated that communication with Shahid soon shifted to WhatsApp, where Shahid instructed him to download a mobile application from the Google Play Store.

Muhammad Irfan said he initially received small payments for completing basic tasks.

He said that when he visited his maternal relatives in Gujranwala, he was asked to share photographs of the area along with geotagging and live location data.

He claims he was paid Rs. 2,500 for this information.

Muhammad Irfan stated that the tasks then escalated, and he was reportedly instructed to capture videos and images of locations, including Alipur Chatha, Rahwali Cantonment, and movements of military vehicles.

He said he completed these assignments and received Rs. 4,500 in return.

However, according to Muhammad Irfan, the situation took a serious turn when Shahid allegedly began blackmailing him, claiming to be an operative of an Indian intelligence agency.

He added that he became frightened and, under blackmail, kept sending videos, geotagging data, and images of various sensitive locations.

He claimed that recently, Shahid assigned him a task to capture the live location, geotagging, and images of a mosque and a madrasa in Rawalakot, and while completing that task, he was arrested.