Moga salesman ‘spying for Pakistan’ held in Amritsar

POLICE SAY PHOTOS OF VITAL INSTALLATIONS, MOVEMENT OF ARMY VEHICLES; HANDMADE MAPS OF RESTRICTED AREAS SEIZED FROM HIM

AMRITSAR:THE state police claim to have busted a Pakistan-backed espionage ring operating through Facebook with the arrest of a 34-year-old Moga soft-drink factory salesman, Ravi Kumar.

The State Special Operations Cell (SSOC) of the counter-intelligence wing arrested Kumar, a resident of Dhaleke village in Moga, near Manawala village, 10km from Amritsar, on Thursday morning. “The accused is a Pakistani spy. Preliminary questioning has revealed that an official of Inter-services Intelligence (ISI) had recruited him through Facebook seven months ago,” a press note from SSOC said.

It added, “Police have recovered photographs of vital installations and movement of army vehicles and hand-made maps of restricted areas from him. He was providing information to the ISI on the movement of army units, construction of new bunkers on the Indian side of the border and photographs of army vehicles along with their formation signs etc.” Inspector Gurinderpal Singh from Chatiwind police station, Amritsar, had led the team that carried our the arrest.

‘WAS BRIEFED IN DUBAI IN FEBRUARY’

The official note said investigation had shown Kumar was in regular touch with Pakistani ISI officers over mobile phone and internet. “Money was transferred to his account through Dubai. ISI handlers had even sponsored his visit to Dubai from February 20-24 this year. There, he was briefed on his spying assignment,” the police added.

Kumar has been booked under sections 4, 5 and 9 of the Official Secrets Act and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC at the SSOC police station, Amritsar.