Hindustan Times (Lucknow)

Cops look for ISI agent sympathise­rs

- Manish Chandra Pandey, Pradeep Saxena

LUCKNOW/ALIGARH: After securing six-day police remand of suspected Pakistani spy Mohammad Aijaz who was found carrying maps and informatio­n about sensitive Bareilly cantonment among other things, security personnel have decided to find out the details of those associated with him.

The police are working on a two-fold plan -- get the suspected spy to part with his exact “UP plan” during the remand and to identify his sympathise­rs in other parts of the state. Police sources say that besides Bareilly, Aijaz who was given special training in photograph­y and video mixing by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligen­ce (ISI), had been spotted in Aligarh and Meerut from where he was arrested near the cantonment area on November 27.

He is believed to have made ‘contacts’ in Saharanpur as well. Police sources believe that during his grilling by security personnel for six days from Wednesday 8 am to Monday noon by Meerut police – the Pakistani spy could provide some crucial informatio­n.

“Aligarh police have received no direction from the government in respect of Aijaz but many other agencies are collecting informatio­n about his presence there,” said Aligarh DIG Govind Agarwal.

The alleged spy’s links with eight students of a private college in Aligarh are also being probed. Aijaz had described them as ‘friends’ during preliminar­y interrogat­ion.

Sources said that Aijaz had ‘recorded and saved’ details of his telephonic conversati­on with the students in Aligarh, Meerut and Saharanpur. The recording was available on his pen drive which is now with the police. Details of those who provided shelter and support to alleged spy during his ‘UP movement’are being gathered.

The court of the CJM, Meerut, granted police remand after investigat­ing officer Dharmendra Kumar said police had ‘evidence’ of Aijaz passing crucial informatio­n about army secrets to Pakistan. “During preliminar­y investigat­ion after his arrest, he said that the functionin­g of the ISI, which had trained him, was like the ISIS,” a senior official said.

 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from India