Alwar: Four youths from Jhopdi village near the Itarana Army cantonment in Alwar were released Monday after a joint questioning by Rajasthan Police’s Special Branch and a Military Intelligence team from Jammu found no conclusive evidence to support suspicions that they were spying for Pakistan.The operation was carried out on Friday near Jhopdi village, close to the cantonment area. The main suspect, Umesh Jatav, was taken to Udyog Nagar police station for questioning. His three friends — Sanjay Jatav, Dhara Jatav, son of Ramvatar Jatav, and Akash Jatav — were also questioned by the agencies.Army Intelligence later handed the matter to Alwar Police for further action, citing material it believed pointed to espionage. However, Alwar Police, Rajasthan’s Special Branch and other intelligence agencies found no concrete evidence against the four during questioning. They were released after action under Section 170 of the BNSS.Officials said that in such cases, Rajasthan intelligence agencies register a case only if evidence is established. Had conclusive material been found, a case would have been registered by the Rajasthan Intelligence Wing at its police station in Jaipur. No case has been registered so far.According to inputs received by Army Intelligence, Umesh Jatav had allegedly sent information, photos, videos and other sensitive details to Pakistan in exchange for money. The material was said to relate to the Army cantonment, the railway station and the movement of Vande Bharat trains.Alwar Police said transactions of Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 were found, but added that these did not amount to concrete evidence of espionage. Officials said all four remain under close watch while the investigation continues.Police are also examining digital material recovered from the youths to determine whether they were linked to any wider network.Preliminary findings suggested that Umesh Jatav allegedly had money deposited into the bank accounts of his three friends after luring them. Sources said agencies had inputs that he was in contact with handlers in Pakistan, who allegedly approached the youths through social media and WhatsApp using fake identities and women’s names. After building friendships, the handlers allegedly offered money in return for sensitive information.Alwar SP Sudhir Chaudhary said a joint team of intelligence agencies questioned the four youths and released them after action under Section 170 of the BNSS. He said no case had been registered by intelligence agencies because there was no conclusive evidence of espionage.
