Fact-Check: Does This Image Show Man Found Guilty of Being a Pakistani Spy? No!

The man in the viral image was identified as one Abhey Singh.

Fact-Check | The person in the image is being misidentified as one Nishant Agarwal.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

An image of a man is being shared on social media platforms with users identifying him as an alumni of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Ropar named Nishant Agarwal, who was sentenced to life in person for becoming a spy for the Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

An archive of the post can be found here.

(Source: X (formerly Twitter)/Screenshot)

At the time of writing this report, the post had gained over a lakh views on the platform. An archive of a similar claim can be found here.

What is the truth?: The claim is misleading as the person seen in the image is actually named Abhey Singh, who is reportedly a former aerospace engineer from IIT Bombay.

How did we find that out?: On conducting a simple reverse image search on the image, we found a news report published in News18.

• The man was identified as one Abhay Singh, who is said to have pursued an Aerospace Engineering degree from IIT Bombay.

• Singh turned to spirituality after leaving his field and was seen in the ongoing Maha Kumbh 2025.

The report was published on 15 January.

(Source: News18/Screenshot)

• An NDTV report added that Abhey Singh is now being known as 'IIT Baba'. It said that Singh, who belongs to Haryana, left his scientific pursuits to devote himself to spirituality.

• The report further said that Singh had secured a job offer but soon left the corporate world.

The report was published on 15 January.

(Source: NDTV/Screenshot)

• Team WebQoof found Singh's Facebook handle, where he mentioned that he had studied at IIT Bombay and also worked as a photographer.

Singh's bio mentioned that he worked as a photographer.

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)

Details about Nishant Agarwal: According to a report published in The Hindu, Agarwal was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Nagpur district court on 3 June 2024 under the Official Secrets Act.

• He worked as a BrahMos Aerospace engineer and was found guilty of leaking sensitive information to the Pakistan's ISI.

• Agarwal will also undergo 14 years of rigorous imprisoment. He was first arrested in 2018 from his residence in Nagpur.

The report was published on 3 June 2024.

(Source: The Hindu/Screenshot)

Conclusion: It is evident that the person in the viral image is being misidentified as Nishant Agarwal.

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