The espionage racket has claimed yet another detainee. The Delhi Crime Branch detained one more person, Farhat, a close aide of SP leader Munawwar Saleem, on Saturday morning.
Saleem said on Saturday that he is ready to extend all support to the probe.
Prior to Farhat, three persons were found to be allegedly spying for Pakistan.
Shoaib, a Jodhpur-based passport and visa agent, was detained near his hometown on Thursday evening, Rajasthan Police said.
Earlier, a Delhi court had remanded the two arrested Indian spies for Pakistan to 12-day police custody, while Pakistan High Commission staffer, Mehmood Akhtar, has been declared a persona non grata and was asked to leave the country in 48 hours.
Mehmood Akhtar was arrested by the Delhi Police’s Crime Branch on Thursday morning for being in possession of defence documents. Akhtar was detained on espionage charges but was let off due to his diplomatic immunity.
Visa Agent or Pakistan’s spy?
On Shoaib, Joint Commissioner of Delhi Police Ravindra Yadav said that the person had senior connections in the Pakistan High Commission.
He had been operating in India for the last three-four years, Yadav said.
He was working as a visa agent and an interrogation had been initiated to find the extent of his involvement. A visitor’s card to enter the Pakistan High Commission was recovered from him along with secret documents and a phablet, Yadav said.
He had visited Pakistan at least six times and said that he went there to meet his mother and relatives.
Man Arrested in Jodhpur on Espionage Charge
Jodhpur-based Shoaib, who was allegedly involved in an espionage racket, had come in contact with Maulana Ramzan, one of the other people arrested in the case, around one-and-a-half year back.
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Ramzan and Shoaib were involved in collecting vital information about the installations of army and para-military forces in Gujarat and Rajasthan, the officer said.
Shoaib's questioning is likely to reveal the network of other spies who were recruited in the module.
Man, Whose Aadhar Detail Was Stolen, Shocked
The man, whose address was mentioned in the forged Aadhar card of a Pakistan High Commission staffer detained for his involvement in an espionage ring, was "shocked", saying he got to know about the case only after his house had a beeline of journalists.
Mohd Asif, who owns the house, said, "I don't know how and why my address was there in the card. We only got to know about it after mediapersons came to my house to ask me about how my address was there in that person's Aadhar card. It's shocking for us."
Asif said he and his family have been living in the area for the last 40 years and that the house is a part of their family legacy.
Asif has a business of selling electric water motors.
Tit For Tat By Pakistan?
The Pakistani Foreign Secretary summoned the Indian High Commission on Thursday and conveyed that an employee from the Indian High Commission in Pakistan, Surjeet Singh, has been declared a persona non grata.
The Foreign Secretary alleged that Singh’s activities in Pakistan were in violation of the Vienna Convention and established diplomatic norms. Singh has been asked to leave Pakistan by 29 October.
Two Sent to Police Custody in Pak Espionage Case
A Delhi court sent the two persons, arrested in connection with the alleged Pakistan espionage case, to 12-day custody of the police which said their custodial interrogation was needed to unearth the larger conspiracy.
The investigating officer said Maulana Ramzan and Subhash Jangir, who were allegedly working for an ISI spy ring, were produced before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Satish Arora and remanded for custodial interrogation till 8 November.
Police claimed the duo were involved in the espionage ring in which a staffer of the Pakistan High Commission, Mehmood Akhtar, described as the kingpin of a spy ring working for Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence, was detained by police for alleged possession of sensitive defence documents.
MEA’s Official Statement
In an official statement, the MEA Spokesperson, Vikas Swarup, said:
Pakistan High Commission staffer Mehmood Akhtar has been declared persona non grata for espionage activities, given 48 hours to leave India. He was intercepted by Delhi police yesterday while he was receiving sensitive documents pertaining to national security of India.
Refuting Pakistan’s claims that Akhtar was “harassed” in India, Swarup said that “he was treated with courtesy befitting his diplomatic status.”
When Mehmood Akhtar was handed over to the Pakistan High Commissioner in the presence of MEA official, he himself said he was treated well. In fact it was Mehmood Akhtar who resorted to subterfuge by concealing his real identity. The Foreign Secretary also strongly conveyed to the Pak High Commissioner that the Pak High Commission must ensure that none of its members indulge in activities inimical to India, or behave in a manner that is incompatible with their diplomatic status.
Crime Branch Joint Commissioner, Ravindra Yadav, addressed the press and said that the documents recovered from the high commission staffer included defence deployment maps, details of BSF staff and other visa-related documents.
India’s Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar has reportedly told Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit that the Pakistan mission staffer has been declared persona non grata for espionage.
Pakistan Denies Accusations
Pakistan High Commissioner, Abdul Basit, denied the accusations made by Indian government and said that the Pakistan High Commission never engages in activity that is incompatible with its diplomatic status.
He asked that Indian government to ensure that such “harassment” should not happen in the future.
He argued that the detention of the Pakistan HC staffer was violation of the 1961 Vienna Convention.
Who Was Mahmood Akhtar?
The staffer was a havildar in Baloch regiment of Pakistan army who was later hired by ISI. He was currently working in the visa department of the High Commission.
Mahmood Akhtar had initially hidden his identity and had an Aadhaar card showing Chandni Chowk as his address, where he lived under the alias of Mehmood Rajput.
Indians Involved?
Two more Indians were also arrested by the police. The Indians arrested have been identified as Maulana Ramzan and Subhash.
The men used to visit Pakistan HC once a month.
Lately, the duo was exchanging documents at the Delhi Zoo and were given money in return for the documents.
Yadav said that the police had been tracking his activities for six months now.
There are more people who are likely to be involved in the matter, he added. Another Jodhpur-based person identified as Shoaib will be arrested soon for his involvement in espionage ring.
(With ANI and PTI inputs)
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