In a fresh security advisory with immediate operational consequences, the Ministry of Home Affairs has issued a nationwide alert cautioning police and security forces against a surge in online “honey trapping” attempts allegedly linked to operatives based in Pakistan, warning that even inadvertent digital lapses could trigger disciplinary or criminal action.
The alert flows from a Standard Operating Procedure circulated through the Bureau of Police Research and Development, flagging a pattern where foreign handlers approach officials via mainstream social media and messaging platforms using fabricated profiles, often masquerading as journalists, analysts, or retired officers, to cultivate personal rapport and gradually solicit sensitive information, documents, or system access, with investigations noting the deployment of malware, fake identities, and coercive tactics to exploit vulnerabilities.
While not a judicial ruling, the SOP sets out binding compliance measures: officers are directed to avoid disclosing official designations online, reject unknown requests, segregate personal and official communications, strengthen account security, and report suspicious contact immediately, crucially, where compromise is suspected, devices must be seized at once and examined in coordination with the Intelligence Bureau, with the advisory underscoring that “sharing confidential information online, even inadvertently,” may attract strict action, and mandating state counter-intelligence units to monitor adherence.
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