On Friday, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) announced the arrest of four individuals involved in a Pakistan-linked espionage and sabotage module. The accused, aged between 19 and 27, were allegedly conducting reconnaissance on sensitive sites, including railway signal boxes and vehicles carrying gas cylinders, with plans to carry out arson attacks to incite panic. They were identified as Saqib alias Javed, Arbaaz, Vikas Gehlot alias Ronak, and Lokesh alias Pappu Pandit. The ATS reported that the group maintained contact with their Pakistani handlers through various social media platforms, sharing reconnaissance footage and receiving instructions. The authorities intercepted the group before they could execute a plan to set fire to a railway signal box near Kharkhauda railway station in Meerut. During the operation, the ATS seized several items, including smartphones and pamphlets, and discovered that the accused were compensated through QR code transactions for their tasks. A case has been filed under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1967, with further investigations underway to trace any broader networks involved in similar sabotage activities.