The arrest of YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra on charges of leaking sensitive military information to Pakistan has reignited memories of a similar case from fifteen years ago—one that involved not a social media influencer, but a serving diplomat of the Indian Foreign Service.
In 2010, Madhuri Gupta, a senior diplomat posted as the Second Secretary (Press and Information) at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, was arrested for espionage. Investigations revealed that she had been honey-trapped by Pakistani intelligence operatives and persuaded to pass along highly classified documents to the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Gupta, a B Tech graduate from the Regional Engineering College in Warangal and an alumna of Jawaharlal Nehru University, had previously served India in various diplomatic missions in Iraq, Liberia, Malaysia, and Croatia before her posting to Islamabad in 2007. Fluent in Urdu and deeply interested in Sufism and poetry, she struck up a friendship with a Pakistani journalist who introduced her to a man named Jamshed—known in public circles as “Jim.” Unknown to Gupta at the time, he was an ISI operative.
What began as casual literary discussions reportedly turned into a romantic relationship. Gupta, then 52, was drawn to the 30-year-old Jamshed, and intelligence officials say that emotional vulnerability and workplace dissatisfaction—stemming from denied leaves and delayed salaries—made her more susceptible to influence. Soon, she came under the control of both Jamshed and another ISI handler, Mubashar Raza Rana.
She began transmitting classified information related to Indian military strategy, RAW operations, Indo-US intelligence exchanges, and even details concerning the 26/11 Mumbai attack investigations. Indian agencies started tracking unusual activity from the Islamabad mission and eventually identified Gupta’s digital communications, email patterns, and movements as suspicious.
In April 2010, Gupta was summoned back to India under the pretext of managing media coordination for the upcoming SAARC Summit in Bhutan. She arrived in Delhi on April 21, spent a night at her residence, and was arrested by Delhi Police the next morning. She was formally charged under Sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act, which deal with espionage and wrongful communication of confidential government information.
During interrogation, Gupta initially cited revenge as her motive but later confessed to being emotionally manipulated and blackmailed. Reports at the time said she not only leaked strategic memos and defense documents but also compromised the identities and login credentials of Indian intelligence officers.
Gupta spent 21 months in Tihar Jail before being granted bail. Her trial led to a conviction in 2018, when a Delhi court found her guilty under the Official Secrets Act. Section 3 allows for imprisonment of up to 14 years, while Section 5 permits jail terms of up to three years or fines for unauthorized communication or retention of official secrets.
Until her death in October 2021 at the age of 64, Madhuri Gupta had been living in Bhiwadi, Rajasthan, awaiting the outcome of her appeal, which remained pending in the Delhi High Court. Her case stands as a rare and cautionary tale—of how emotional compromise, ideological drift, and professional disillusionment can sometimes lead even those sworn to protect national interests down the path of betrayal.
