Just In: Another Jodhpur-based man has been detained by the Rajasthan Police in the case of espionage and spying, Shoaib, the arrested man, is now set to be brought to Delhi.
Shoaib had come in contact with Maulana around one-and-a-half year back, who lured the latter to join him in collecting vital information about the installations of army and para-military forces in Gujarat and Rajasthan, the officer said.
Just In: Pakistan said Thursday that the charges against its High Commission staffer, whom India has declared as persona non grata for espionage activities, were ‘false and unsubstantiated.’ It also said it condemned the ‘detention and manhandling’ of its diplomatic official.
Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit has been summoned by the foreign ministry after a high commission staffer was asked to leave India over alleged espionage charges.
Along with him, two men from Rajasthan have also been arrested for allegedly leaking sensitive documents to him.
The official, Mehmood Akhtar, was questioned by the Delhi Police and was allowed to go because of diplomatic immunity. He has been declared “persona non grata” for espionage.
The men who were arrested, Maulana Ramzan and Subhash Jangir, had accessed sensitive defence-related documents and information and allegedly handed them to the official.
This is not the first time such charges have been put up against the Pakistani High Commission as last year too, a few employees came under scrutiny after a spy ring associated with Pakistan’s intelligence was exposed and five people, including a non-commissioned Air Force officer, were arrested. The police say today’s arrests may be connected to that network.
The relations between the two countries have been strained after the last month’s Uri attack in which 19 soldiers were killed. In what was widely seen as retaliation, the army carried out surgical strikes on September 29 across the Line of Control to target staging camps for terrorists planning to target cities in India.
