Madhuri Gupta, Indian Diplomat In Pakistan, Fell In Love With A Pakistani And Turned Spy For The ISI

The tense situation between India and Pakistan began with the Pahalgam attack, which took place on April 22, 2025. Following this, what happened left the entire nation shocked. India's response with 'Operation Sindoor', Pakistan's counter-attack, and whatnot. After things got a little settled, it was a Haryana-based vlogger, Jyoti Malhotra, who grabbed the attention, as she was arrested with six others on the charges of passing India's military information to Pakistan. 

Amid this, a strong memory about another Indian diplomat, Madhuri Gupta, re-ignited. Madhuri, who served the nation almost for three decades, ended up turning into a spy for Pakistan's ISI, and what made her do the same, was none other than 'love'. So, let's dive deep into Madhuri Gupta's story.

An Indian low-ranking diplomat, Madhuri Gupta turned into a 'spy' for Pakistan after 27 years of serving India

Madhuri Gupta was posted as second secretary at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, Pakistan. Her duty included analysing Pakistani media and reporting them back to Delhi. She was known for her academic brilliance and reportedly had an interest in Sufi literature along with a deep knowledge of Urdu. Madhuri served the nation for 27 years, and no one could even believe that she would be convicted of espionage.

How did the Indian Intelligence Bureau get information about Madhuri Gupta's 'spying' for Pakistan and passing classified information from India?

A year and a half after the 26/11 Mumbai attack, the then-director of the Indian Intelligence Bureau, Rajiv Mathur, received shocking information that an individual from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad had turned into a spy for Pakistan and was leaking some serious information about India to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency. It was none other than Madhuri Gupta, who then came onto the radar, and the intelligence agency kept tracking her closely in early 2010. To confirm the shocking information about Madhuri, a secret mission was launched, and she was deliberately given false information, which was later transferred to Pakistan by her, confirming that she was the one to pass on the highly confidential information to Pakistan.

When Madhuri Gupta accepted leaking information to Pakistan after coming back to India, and the massive damages that came along with it

What was followed later, and the further information, can shock one to the core. Madhuri was then called to report back to Delhi to help a SAARC summit. She couldn't understand that her secret was revealed, and came back to India, only to be caught. Well, it was on April 22, 2010, when Madhuri reached the office at South Block, and she encountered the officers. Reportedly, she, with a smirk on her face, questioned back to the officers:

"What took you so long?"

After Madhuri was questioned, she reportedly admitted to leaking classified information about India to Pakistan's ISI. She shared the names, emails, passwords, and more, which contained enough evidence that she had passed on information, including how India's intelligence officials were operating in Pakistan. Apart from that, reports also claimed that Madhuri has passed on a total of 70 classified emails, exposed names and identities of Indian intelligence officers in Pakistan, and even disclosed the routes between India and Pakistan, too.

As per the sources, the damage that was done was irreversible, as Madhuri, who served the nation for nearly three decades, with a move, compromised India's intelligence network in Islamabad, with which she was trusted. Another major damage was that during that time, the media mistakenly revealed the identity of the top spy of India in Pakistan, which came along with several problems afterwards.

It was for 'love', a 'honeytrap' in disguise, that led Madhuri Gupta to expose India's information to Pakistan's ISI

But what led Madhuri Gupta to take the step? The investigators later revealed that Madhuri took this drastic step due to love. She was apparently caught up in a honeytrap when she fell in love with a Pakistani man named Jamshed or Jim. Turned out that Jim was working for ISI, and while Madhuri might have been in love, her Pakistani beau, i.e., a ISI's spy in disguise, was looking for information.

Police shared later that Madhuri fell into the honeytrap, which was designed to extract information only. In one of the emails, that were recovered from Madhuri, she talked about Jim's attempt to control her. In the mail, she reportedly said that after marriage to Jim, she would have to stay behind the purdah, and neither he would socialise, and nor he would let her do the same. The email, which was recovered from Madhuri, could be read as:

"I am not used to just sitting at home in purdah. After marriage he will neither socialise himself nor let me socialise with anyone.” 

Madhuri Gupta got bail after spending 21 months in jail before the Delhi court convicted her of espionage

In 2012, the once Indian diplomat, Madhuri Gupta was charged under the Official Secrets Act and spent 21 months in jail, before she was granted bail. The trial went on for a long, and in 2018, the final verdict came, when the Delhi court convicted her of criminal conspiracy and espionage. While it was stated that 'love' was the reason for her to take this step, back then, MEA counter-claimed that there might be more layers to the story, including resentment, loneliness, professional friction, and possibly a thirst for validation.

What do you think about Madhuri Gupta's story, whose love for a Pakistani man turned out to be a 'security threat' for India?

Also Read: YouTuber, Jyoti Malhotra's Father REACTS On Her Arrest For 'Spying': 'Used To Visit Pakistan For..'

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