Haryana Family Stunned as Visa Application Turns into Espionage Scandal

The arrest of Wasim Akram, a 32-year-old civil engineer and YouTuber from Haryana's Palwal district, has uncovered an alleged espionage operation run through the Pakistan High Commission's visa section in New Delhi, where officials purportedly used bribery and coercion to recruit Indian applicants as informants.

Akram, who ran a YouTube channel on Mewat's history, was detained on October 1 under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Official Secrets Act (OSA) for supplying SIM cards, OTPs, and sensitive details on Indian Army personnel to Pakistani handler Jaffar, alias Muzammil Hussain. This case, linked to a broader pattern in Punjab and Haryana, highlights how visa processing has been weaponised for intelligence gathering, prompting India to declare involved diplomats persona non grata.

Akram's involvement began in 2021 when he applied for a visa to visit relatives in Pakistan's Kasur district. Initially denied, approval came after he paid a ₹20,000 bribe to Jaffar at the High Commission. Following his May 2022 trip, contact persisted via WhatsApp, with Akram providing his bank account for a "visa facilitation fund" in exchange for commissions.

Investigators allege ₹5 lakh was transferred to him, including ₹1.5 lakh in cash via intermediaries, of which he delivered ₹2.3 lakh back to Jaffar. He also furnished multiple SIM cards and OTPs, facilitating covert communications, and shared intelligence on military movements. Akram's phone yielded incriminating chats—some deleted, now under cyber forensics recovery—implicating him in a three-year network coordinated with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

The "Palwal module", as termed by officials, mirrors earlier busts like Operation Sindoor in Punjab's Malerkotla, where diplomat Danish, alias Ehsan ur Rahim, recruited locals with visa promises, paying via small UPI transfers for defence data. Danish's network extended to Haryana-based travel vlogger Jyoti Malhotra, arrested in May 2025. In Nuh, Haryana, Armaan was nabbed for supplying SIMs and defence expo footage to High Commission staff.

Punjab's Ropar saw YouTuber Jasbir Singh Mahal detained for similar activities. Across these, the modus operandi involves exploiting desperate applicants—often from border states—with bribes (₹10,000-₹50,000) to secure visas, then pressuring them for SIMs, fund laundering, and intel via apps like WhatsApp. Intermediaries obscure financial trails, while recruits face coercion through threats of visa revocation or exposure.

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This systemic misuse underscores vulnerabilities in diplomatic visa operations amid strained India-Pakistan ties, suspended since 2019 except for limited Haj pilgrimages. The Ministry of External Affairs has expelled at least four Pakistani officials this year on espionage charges, including Jaffar and Danish, repatriating them as persona non grata.

Haryana Police, in coordination with the Intelligence Bureau, anticipate more arrests, with Akram's associate Taufiq—detained last week—providing key leads. As investigations deepen, the cases highlight the need for stricter visa vetting and digital surveillance to counter hybrid threats blending corruption and covert operations.

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