Jabalpur: The army arrested two people in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur on May 9, 2025, for allegedly taking videos and pictures of a high-security military area associated with the Central Command. Against the backdrop of Indian-Pakistani tensions, the incident has sparked fears of espionage. Military intelligence has arrested the suspects and initiated a thorough investigation to determine if they were working for hostile foreign enemies.
Incident Details and Arrest
Security personnel patrolling the military facility in the Gora Bazar area of Jabalpur caught the two men, Mohammad Zuber, 22, from Ayesha Nagar, and Mohammad Irfan, 32, from Anand Nagar, in the act, a police officer said. Guards had to intervene when two men filmed the forbidden area from various angles. They were unable to explain satisfactorily and were handed over to Military Intelligence for further questioning.
The military confiscated cellphones belonging to the suspects and sent them to a forensic laboratory for data retrieval and analysis. Investigators sift through their phone records, social media accounts, location data and other digital traces. They assess how far their activities extended and whether they had any foreign connections. The local police have been alerted but have said they are unable to comment on the case as the investigation is ongoing.
Allegations of spying and Foreign Relations
Initial investigations indicate that the suspects were allegedly gathering and sending sensitive data about the military base to foreign entities. They were acting potentially on the orders of adversarial states. The incident occurred at a time when tensions were rising between India and Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror incident on April 22, 2025: Wrapping up six months of investigation, police Tuesday accused five men of espionage for Pakistan. Investigators within the military are now exploring the possibility that the men may have acted under direction from Pakistan itself or another hostile element seeking to overcome India’s well-defended defences.
Jabalpur military facility is the Central Command’s main hub and thus is a core facility hosting too many critical operations and assets. This renders too much intelligence-gathering value to the area. To record such a site without authorisation is a serious security breach. This is especially in light of Pakistani provocations in recent times, including drone attacks and ceasefire violations along the Line of Control.
Wider Background of India-Pakistan Relations
This comes on the heels of India eliminating terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in its Operation Sindoor on May 6–7, 2025, killing more than 100 terrorists. On 8–9 May, Pakistan responded with a massive drone strike, launching 300–400 Turkish-made Asisguard Songar UAVs against Indian military and civilian targets. While most of these attacks were thwarted thanks to India’s robust air defence systems, the ongoing conflict has put the country on high alert.
Wednesday’s carnage, claimed by Pakistan-based militants, comes after the Pahalgam attack that left 26 dead. Pakistan-based militants lash back in retaliation as India accuses Pakistan of state-sponsored terrorism. The recent drone attack near the Kartarpur Corridor and Pakistan’s repeated attempts to destabilise India through cyberattacks and physical incursions have shown the need for more security at sensitive installations like the Jabalpur military base in Madhya Pradesh and other such bases in different parts of the country.
Military Intelligence carefully pieces together the objectives of the suspects, whether they had any handlers or accomplices, and how widespread their activities were around the country. Forensic examination of their mobile phones is expected to give vital clues as to if the footage was sent overseas and to whom. The incident triggered a review of military facilities nationwide, with authorities emphasising the need to battle espionage threats in the current geopolitical climate.
The Jabalpur arrests bring attention to India’s changing security dynamics, with conventional adversarial military threats being combined with more covert operations like intelligence and cyberattacks. This once again highlights how the conflict is not just limited to the Line of Control but also cyberspace. Reports emerge that Pakistani hacker groups have targeted Indian defence institutions such as the Military Engineer Services and the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses.