The Itanagar Police have arrested two men from Jammu and Kashmir on charges of espionage in Arunachal Pradesh. Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Chukhu Apa said the two, Aijaz Ahmed Bhat and Bashir Ahmad Ganai, were caught in Kupwara district on December 18 and brought to Arunachal Pradesh, where they are now in custody. Earlier, one detainee from Miao in Changlang district was released due to lack of evidence. The accused are said to have collected sensitive information across the state and passed it to handlers based in Pakistan. The case became known on November 21, when Nazir Ahmad Malik and Sabir Ahmed Mir, both from Kupwara, were arrested after intelligence pointed to their spying activities. Malik was caught in Ganga village, Itanagar, and Mir in Abotani colony the same day. West Siang police arrested Hilal Ahmed from Kupwara, who was running a cloth shop at a local trade fair. Changlang police had detained Gulam Md Mir from Miao but later released him. Most arrested individuals worked as blanket sellers traveling widely in Arunachal Pradesh to gather information. The IGP said the police acted on credible information about a spy network. "Under the leadership of Itanagar SP Jummar Basar, the team worked diligently and made these arrests. Two have been arrested from Kupwara and three from different locations in the Itanagar Capital Region," he said. Interrogations are ongoing and forensic reports are awaited. The police may make more arrests based on evidence. The IGP also warned citizens to be careful and urged them to verify anyone staying on their property. "I appeal to the people of Arunachal Pradesh to carry out police verification before allowing anyone to stay on your property for safety reasons. Do not let people stay in your house without proper verification," said Mr. Apa.