Indian Police: Suspects Passed Secrets to Pakistan’s ISI

Adeel Shah
2015.11.30
151130-newespionage-620 Indian police escort espionage suspect Mohammed Jahangir to Bankshall Court in Kolkata, Nov. 30, 2015.
AFP

Indian police claim they broke up two espionage rings by arresting five people suspected of ties to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, including a Border Security Force (BSF) member alleged to be carrying national security documents.

Police arrested two people in New Delhi, including the BSF member and his alleged Pakistani handler, while police in West Bengal arrested three others suspected of links to ISI.

Those arrested Sunday in the Indian capital have been identified as Kafaitullah Khan and Abdul Rasheed, both residents of northern Jammu & Kashmir state. Rasheed was working with the Indian Border Security Force’s intelligence wing.

Police allege that Khan, also known as Master Raja according to The Hindu, is a Pakistani intelligence officer whose tasks included reporting on security-force deployments and air force operations. The pair is charged with passing information to Pakistan through e-mails, WhatsApp and Viber.

“The racket was supported by ISI,” Ravindra Yadav, a senior officer of the Police Crime Branch wing, told media in New Delhi. “Khan was in touch with the ISI and he would get information from Abdul, who was his source.”

Police arrested the pair at the New Delhi railway station.

“[Khan] had boarded a train from Jammu and we arrested him in New Delhi,” Yadav said. “Police recovered documents related to the Indian national security.”

Yadav said Khan traveled to Pakistan in 2013, where he came in contact with an ISI agent.

“He was using Viber, WhatsApp for passing on the information,” he said.

“When Khan was invited to Pakistan, he was told by his handler that people at the Pakistan High Commission would help him,” Yadav said.

Officials at the high commission in New Delhi could not be reached for comment on Monday.

In the second case, Kolkata Police on Sunday said they arrested three for alleged links to ISI. Identified as Irshad Ansari, Asfaq Ansari and Mohammed Jahangir, the three were caught in the southern part of the city.

A police officer in West Bengal confirmed the arrest to BenarNews on Monday.

“They were involved in passing our country’s information,” said the officer who requested anonymity. “The arrested agents were also traveling to Pakistan where they received training,” he said.

The three suspects were remanded to police custody until Dec. 14, while a Delhi court remanded Rasheed to police custody until Dec. 7.

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