Whenever a spy is caught or allegations surface about someone sharing information with another country, 'honeytrap' often becomes a topic of discussion. In most cases, people are ensnared through a honeytrap, and it later emerges that a female spy had lured them to extract information. You may have heard about Pakistan's ISI agents using honeytraps to obtain confidential information. Let's dive into how these ISI agents cast their net...
What is a Honeytrap?
In essence, the term honeytrap is used for espionage cases where romantic or affectionate relationships are leveraged to extract crucial information. Often, spies from various countries employ this tactic, entrapping individuals in a web of love to gather intelligence. This tactic is sometimes used for large monetary transactions or even political goals.
Who are Most Likely to be Targeted?
Generally, the targets include military personnel, paramilitary forces, defense staff, water and electricity department employees, railway workers, scientists, army ration suppliers, contractors, and residents near border areas. In the context of India-Pakistan, Pakistani female agents reportedly use Indian mobile numbers to open social media accounts and trap youth from border areas. Numerous cases have been reported of people being ensnared through social media.
How Do They Get Caught Up?
Case Number 1: Trapped by Posing as a Journalist
In October last year, spy Narendra Kumar from the border village of Anandgarh was arrested. He was in contact with two women. Poonam, one of them, claimed to be from Bathinda and said she worked as a data entry operator with the BSF. Poonam engaged in sweet talk and used the lure of marriage to extract information. Meanwhile, another woman posed as a journalist to gather data.
Case Number-2: Requested Information as a Student
In 2023, Pradeep Kurulkar, a renowned scientist from DRDO, became a victim too. In this case, a girl claimed she was originally from Ambala and a science student. She expressed a particular interest in defense research, following him on social media, which led to information sharing as interactions progressed.
Case Number-3: Caught in the Trap of Explicit Videos
In 2014, an Indian soldier was arrested for revealing critical military secrets after falling for the trap laid by a Pakistani female spy. Reportedly, the Pakistani agent seduced the soldier with tempting amounts of cash and her explicit photos and videos, while also promising a trip to London. She had claimed her father was a retired Air Force commander from India running an NGO in Jhansi for the UN.
Case Number-4: Falsely Presented as Nursing Staff
In 2022, two young men from Sriganganagar, Rajasthan, were apprehended. In this scenario, the woman posed as someone from Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh), claiming to be posted with Military Nursing Service (MNS) in Bangalore. The agent manipulated the accused through a promise of meeting in Delhi and marriage to procure confidential army documents.
Case Number-5: Pretended to be an Army Officer
In another instance, Ravi Prakash Meena from Masawata, Sapotara, Karauli, was arrested. He was a lower-level employee at army headquarters. The Pakistani female agent called herself Anjali, an Indian army officer positioned in West Bengal.
Case Number-6: Trapped an Air Force Personnel
In 2015, an airman named Ranjit KK was apprehended through a joint operation by the Delhi Police crime branch, military intelligence, and air force units. A Pakistani female agent ensnared him, and the investigations revealed the chain of events began with Facebook chatting. The youth was lured by falsely claiming a defense analysis background.
