Ahmedabad: In a significant breakthrough, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested a multipurpose health worker from Kachchh district, identified as Sahdev Singh Gohil, for allegedly sharing sensitive defense information with a Pakistani intelligence agent posing as an Indian woman on WhatsApp.
“Gujarat ATS arrested Sahdev Singh Gohil, a multipurpose health worker from Kachchh… We had information that he had been sharing information related to BSF with a Pakistani agent…” said Gujarat ATS Superintendent of Police K. Siddharth, during a press briefing. However, the ATS later clarified that the accused had shared information related to the BSF and the Indian Navy, and not the IAF as initially reported.
According to ATS, the investigation began when Gohil was summoned for questioning on May 1. It was during the preliminary probe that the full extent of the espionage came to light.
“It was revealed that during June-July 2023, Sahdev Singh Gohil had come in contact with a girl named Aditi Bharadwaj through WhatsApp… While speaking to her, he came to know that she was a Pakistani agent. She asked for photos and videos of the BSF and IAF sites, which were under construction or newly constructed. He started sharing photos and videos through WhatsApp…” said SP Siddharth.
The ATS further revealed that Gohil enabled communication by purchasing a SIM card using his Aadhaar card at the beginning of 2025, and helped activate WhatsApp on that number for ‘Aditi’ by providing an OTP.
“After that, all photos and videos related to BSF were shared on that number… He was also paid Rs 40,000 in cash by an unidentified man…” the ATS officer added. His mobile phone has been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for further analysis. Investigators confirmed that the WhatsApp numbers used by ‘Aditi Bharadwaj’ were operated from Pakistan.
A case has been registered under sections 61 and 148 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against Sahdev Singh Gohil and the Pakistani agent identified as ‘Aditi Bharadwaj’. Authorities are now probing a possible wider espionage network and attempting to identify the intermediary who delivered the cash.
