Pak mission staffer caught for ‘spying’, asked to leave
3 Indian accomplices held; trade division official found with troop deployment papers, forged Aadhaar
■ NEW DELHI:
India on Thursday asked a Pakistani high commission official to leave the country within 48 hours accusing him of running a spy ring, setting off another round of hostilities between the two neighbours.
Pakistan denied the charge and in turn accused Indian investigators of manhandling Mehmood Akhtar, an accusation promptly rejected by New Delhi on a day of hectic diplomatic activities.
Three Indians, all from Rajasthan, were arrested for allegedly passing on information about border deployment to Akhtar, an assistant in the high commission’s trade section.
In the morning, foreign secretary S Jaishankar summoned Pakistan high commissioner Abdul Basit and told him that Akhtar was caught carrying sensitive documents and India had declared him persona non grata (Latin for an unacceptable person).
Akhtar was detained at Delhi zoo on Wednesday when was accepting documents about deployment of the Border Security Force in Rajasthan and Gujarat from two men who were both arrested, Delhi Police said.
Akhtar claimed to be an Indian and had an Aadhaar card that showed him to be a resident of Chandni Chowk but the card was forged.
Akhtar was released after he invoked diplomatic immunity, Delhi police joint commissioner Ravindra Yadav said. He has been with the high commission for three years.
Police identified the arrested men as Maulana Ramzan Khan and Subhash Jangir, residents of Naguar in Rajasthan.
Late on Thursday, the third member of the alleged spy ring, Jodhpur-based Shoaib, was detained and was being brought to Delhi.
MAULANA RAMZAN AND SUBHASH JANGID WERE ARRESTED BY POLICE IN DELHI ON SUSPICION OF BEING ISI AGENTS AND PASSING ON VITAL INFO TO THEIR PAK HANDLERS
AJMER: One of the Nagaur residents arrested by Delhi police on charges of spying for Pakistan’s ISI had fought the 2013 assembly elections as an Independent while the other accused was an Imam in the local mosque, police said on Thursday.
Maulana Ramzan and Subhash Jangid, residents of Nagaur, were arrested by police in Delhi on suspicion of being ISI agents and passing on vital information to their handlers in Pakistan and to one Akhtar Mahmud, an official in Pakistani high commission in New Delhi.
Meanwhile, there were reports that a third alleged Pakistani spy, Shoeb, had been picked up by police in Jodhpur though there was no official confirmation. Intelligence officials refused to speak on the issue, saying Delhi police is handling the case.
According to locals, Ramzan and Jangid have been friends for several years. Ramzan ran a cloth store in Bassi locality while Jangir had a grocery store there.
Maulana, a native of Barmer district, shifted to Nagaur several years ago and was also the Imam at the Qureshi mosque in the city, said Bhanwar Singh, SHO, Kotwali.
Jangid, a native of Inana village, had fought the 2013 assembly elections as an independent from Khinvsar constituency.
According to Inana villagers, Jangid ran into heavy debt after the polls and shifted to Nagaur to set up business.
“He was in debt after the elections,” said an Inana resident Yogesh Kumar.
Nagaur police visited the duo’s shops on Thursday but found them locked. They also went to Maulana’s house and found that too locked.
“We were informed by neighbours that he (Maulana) left for Delhi three days ago to buy goods for his shop,” Bhanwar Singh said, adding that he did so frequently.
HT attempted to speak to Jangid’s father, Hirji Jangid, a government school teacher, but his mobile was switched off.
Neighbours said though the Maulana did not have many local friends, he used to have many visitors and guests from outside.