NIA arrests Kolkata resident on espionage charge

Key points

• The Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a Kolkata resident allegedly involved in passing confidential security-related information to Pakistan intelligence officers (PIOs), said the agency on Wednesday (May 20, 2026).
• The accused has been identified as Zafar Riaz alias Rizvi, against whom a Look Out Circular had earlier been issued and proceedings were initiated to declare him a proclaimed offender.
• He was married to a Pakistani national, with their children also being Pakistani citizens, as alleged.
• “Convicted earlier in an espionage case under the IPC (Indian Penal Code) and the Official Secrets Act, Zafar had been travelling frequently between India and Pakistan since 2005,” the NIA said.
• In a case registered by the NIA’s Delhi unit in December 2025, the agency found that he was allegedly contacted and cultivated by PIOs to carry out espionage activities in India “in lieu of financial inducements and the promise of Pakistani citizenship”.