‘Honest gentleman’: Wife of UP ordnance factory worker held for spying for ISI rejects charges

Agra: The wife of an ordnance factory worker arrested for allegedly leaking defence secrets to Pakistan's ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) has rejected the allegations, insisting that her husband was falsely implicated. Anita Kumari, 43, said her husband, Ravindra Kumar, is an "honest man" and had no links to any Pakistani spy.
Speaking to TOI, Anita said, "He has been implicated by someone. All the allegations against him are false. He had no connections with any Pakistani agents. He is a gentleman, and his friends and our neighbours speak highly of him. We don't think he has been honey-trapped. We come from a middle-class family, and this needs a fair investigation. I will never doubt my husband. Only God knows the truth."
The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (UP ATS) arrested Ravindra, a chargeman at the Hazratpur-based ordnance factory in Firozabad, from Agra's Bindu Katra area on Thursday night. The agency said he was honey-trapped by a woman posing as Neha Sharma, who contacted him on a social media platform in 2024. Despite revealing that she worked for Pakistan's intelligence agency, she allegedly convinced him to share classified defence documents.
However, Anita maintained that her husband was incapable of espionage. "When the ATS personnel arrived at our home, they only mentioned checking his phone. We were not told that he was being arrested," she said.
Investigators said Ravindra had access to sensitive information at the ordnance factory and is accused of sharing details such as daily production reports, confidential letters from the screening committee, a pending requisition list, and information about drones and the Gaganyaan project.
During searches, the UP ATS found classified details on his mobile phone, including information on logistics drone trials conducted by senior officers of the ordnance factory and the 51 Gorkha Rifles regiment. Officials say he maintained direct communication with Pakistan-based ISI handlers, passing on intelligence concerning India's defence projects. The ATS also confiscated five "incriminating" documents from him.
Ravindra was taken to the ATS headquarters in Lucknow, where he was charged under BNS section 148 (conspiracy to wage or attempting to wage war against the Government of India) and Sections 3, 4, and 5 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923. Officials said his actions posed a serious security risk.