In 2010, Madhuri Gupta, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, sent shockwaves through India’s diplomatic corps when she was arrested for spying for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Her case, resurfacing in 2025 amid YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra’s similar espionage charges, remains a stark reminder of vulnerabilities within India’s security apparatus. Gupta’s fall from a respected diplomat to a convicted spy is a tale of personal betrayal and national breach, marked by a honeytrap and professional grievances.
Gupta, a Group B IFS officer, was posted as Second Secretary (Press and Information) at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad in 2008. Fluent in Urdu and with prior postings in Iraq, Malaysia, and Croatia, the 53-year-old was tasked with monitoring Pakistan’s Urdu press. Her intellectual prowess and interest in Sufism—she was pursuing a PhD on Sufi shrines—made her a standout, yet her solitary lifestyle and strained relations with colleagues left her vulnerable.
The Spy In the Making
In early 2010, less than two years after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, India’s Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief Rajiv Mathur received alarming reports of a mole within the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. With India-Pakistan tensions still high, another security breach was unthinkable. The suspect was Madhuri Gupta, a Grade B Indian Foreign Service officer serving as Second Secretary (Press & Information).
Gupta, an Urdu scholar with a passion for Sufism, seemed an unlikely spy. Yet, intelligence pointed to her leaking sensitive information. IB chief Mathur alerted Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW) head KC Verma and Home Secretary GK Pillai. To confirm the breach, authorities extended surveillance for two weeks, feeding Gupta disinformation that soon appeared in ISI hands, solidifying her guilt.
Unsuspecting, Gupta was recalled to Delhi under the guise of assisting with media for the upcoming SAARC Summit in Bhutan. Arriving on April 21, 2010, she spent the night at her West Delhi home before heading to the Ministry of External Affairs’ South Block office the next morning. There, Delhi Police’s Special Cell, already briefed, swiftly arrested her. Gupta, a trusted diplomat, stood accused of passing classified defense-related information to Pakistan’s ISI, marking a stunning betrayal amid a fragile geopolitical climate.
For Love…
Investigators determined that Madhuri Gupta, a 53-year-old Indian Foreign Service officer arrested in 2010, fell prey to a meticulously planned honeytrap orchestrated by Pakistan’s ISI. “They used a young man to ensnare her,” said Pankaj Sood, a lead investigator, in an interview with The Caravan. The operative, Jamshed, a 30-something Pakistani known as Jim, was assigned to seduce Gupta and extract sensitive information.
Gupta’s primary ISI handler, Mudassar Raza Rana, a close associate of then-Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik, coordinated the operation. The ISI initially gained her trust through a female journalist who assisted Gupta in sourcing a rare book by Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar. Using a computer at her Islamabad residence and a Blackberry, Gupta maintained regular contact with Jamshed and Rana, often via encrypted channels.
Infatuated with Jamshed, Gupta expressed aspirations to convert to Islam, marry him, and relocate to Istanbul, with their exchanges frequently centered on Sufism, Rumi, and Urdu poetry—interests Jamshed skillfully exploited. In March 2010, on Rana’s orders, she traveled to Jammu and Kashmir, allegedly attempting to obtain the state’s Annual Plan Report and details of a 310 MW hydroelectric project.
The chargesheet revealed 73 emails sent through two accounts—[email protected] and [email protected]—created by her Pakistani handlers. Sood disclosed that Gupta compromised critical information, exposing Indian intelligence officials in Pakistan, sharing biographical details of High Commission staff, and revealing “secret routes to India,” severely undermining national security.
What Happened To Madhuri and The Case?
Madhuri Gupta was first charged in 2012 under Sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act, which carried a maximum sentence of 14 years. Initially, she spent 21 months in Tihar Jail before securing bail.
In 2018, a city court found her guilty and finally convicted her of spying for Pakistan. She lived in Bhiwadi, Rajasthan, awaiting her trial and died in October 2021 at the age of 64. Her appeal against the conviction was pending in the Delhi High Court at the time of her death.
