Senior Army officers wife booked for sharing sensitive info with Chinese agents posed as academicians

PTC News Desk: A senior Indian Army officer's wife has been charged by the Jammu and Kashmir Police for allegedly sharing sensitive information to operatives linked to foreign intelligence agencies, including China, who had contacted her under the garb of academicians.

The wife of a senior Army officer, who is originally from Telangana and currently lives in Jammu under the jurisdiction of Gandhi Nagar Police Station, allegedly became involved in the matter without realising that the people she was communicating with were Chinese intelligence operatives posing as academics.

Police have registered an FIR at Gandhi Nagar Police Station under FIR No. 290/2026. The case has been filed under Sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923, and Sections 152 and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Section 3 of the Official Secrets Act deals with collecting or sharing information that could threaten national security. Section 5 covers the unauthorised sharing, possession or handling of protected information.

According to the preliminary investigation, Chinese operatives allegedly approached the woman while pretending to be academics. They reportedly asked her to write articles on subjects of strategic and operational importance for publication. Initially, the topics focused on environmental issues and geopolitics. Over time, however, she was allegedly encouraged to write about defence-related matters.

Investigators suspect that the woman may have unknowingly fallen into what they describe as an “intellectual trap”, without realising that the people contacting her were allegedly trying to obtain sensitive information.

Sources said she came under investigation after intelligence agencies received information alleging that she was secretly collecting, possessing and sharing sensitive documents, photographs and electronic data related to state security.

Investigators suspect that some of this information may have been shared through encrypted communication channels with people linked to foreign intelligence agencies. The police input refers to China and other foreign countries, raising concerns that information of strategic importance may have been exposed, knowingly or unknowingly.

However, the investigation is still underway. Authorities have not revealed the exact nature of the documents allegedly collected, the identities of the suspected foreign contacts or whether any sensitive information was actually transferred.

Police have also not disclosed details of the alleged communications, any material recovered or whether searches have been conducted. Investigators are now trying to establish how the woman came into contact with the suspected foreign operatives.