Army Officer’s Wife Booked in Jammu Over Alleged Espionage Links

Police in Jammu have registered a case against the wife of an Army officer over alleged espionage-related activities, after an intelligence input that she had been writing analytical papers on sensitive security subjects for a contact allegedly working for Chinese intelligence, ETV Bharat and other outlets reported on Sunday. She has been questioned but had not been arrested at the time of the reports.

Case Under the Official Secrets Act

The FIR was registered at the Gandhi Nagar police station in Jammu under Sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923, and Sections 152 and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deal with acts endangering the sovereignty of India and criminal conspiracy, according to reports. Her mobile phone has been seized for forensic examination.

Investigators allege that in 2024 she came into contact on social media with a Malaysian national who ran a consultancy and was allegedly working for Chinese intelligence agencies. The papers she is alleged to have written reportedly covered developments along the Line of Control, infrastructure projects in Arunachal Pradesh and the use of drones.

Open-Source Research and AI Chatbots

During questioning, she reportedly told investigators that her material came from open-source research and was prepared with the help of AI chatbots, and that she believed she was contributing to academic work. Investigators are examining whether she was drawn into what one report described as an “intellectual trap”, in which foreign agents commission seemingly harmless research to gather analysis on sensitive subjects.

She is said to be cooperating with the investigation. None of the allegations has been tested in court.

A Pattern Seen in Earlier Cases

Security agencies have in recent years warned service personnel and their families about approaches made through social media and professional networking sites, often disguised as consultancy or research offers. The case is likely to renew attention on such advisories, particularly for families living in military stations.

Police said the investigation is continuing. More in IPB’s Daily Updates.

Based on reporting by ETV Bharat, ThePrint, Northlines and The Hans India.

Image: IPB.