Pakistan mission employee under agencies’ scanner

Investigations in the espionage racket, involving an ISI operative and a serving BSF jawan, have revealed that Kifayatullah Khan, alias Master Raja, had been asked by his handler in Pakistan to visit the country’s high commission here and meet one of its employees to avail a visa without any hindrance. “During interrogation, Khan has told us that his counterpart (Pakistan Intelligence Operative) had asked him to get a visa done through their source employed at the Pakistan high commission,” Joint Commissioner of police, crime branch, Ravindra Yadav said. The role of this employee, whose identity is yet to be established, has, therefore come under the scanner, added sources.

Meanwhile, a court of inquiry has been ordered against Abdul Rasheed by the Border Security Force (BSF).

“Once we get some leads on the duo, we shall have to approach the MEA for permission to question the staff at the high commission’s office,” said Mr Yadav.

Khan told the police that he was on his way to meet another PIO handler in Bhopal, who was to inform him about the source for visa and allegedly help recruit youths for the espionage racket but was intercepted in Delhi by the police.

The police sources said that during interrogation, Khan, who is the native of a village in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, disclosed about his cousin, Abdul Rasheed, who was posted as a head constable in the intelligence wing of Border Security Force there. Khan was taken to Rajouri district and Rasheed too was arrested following a raid. “The police recovered secret and confidential documents in connection with force deployment locations, movements and patrolling routes of security forces and defence installations from possession of both the accused,” he said. Both of them have been booked under provisions of the Official Secrets Act. “Although the BSF jawan is turning out to be a tough nut to crack we have learnt that he was asked to gather information on the movement and deployment of the troops in Jammu and Kashmir.

Meanwhile, a crime branch team sent to Jammu is also looking for an Army personnel who is also suspected to be close to Khan and is believed to have allegedly passed on secret information posing threat to national security, the official said.

The police are also investigating a money trail in connection with the transfer amounts which Khan used to receive from his counterpart in Pakistan through UAE and Saudi Arabia routes, said an official privy to the investigation.

Khan was recruited in Jammu and Kashmir police several years ago. Later, he quit the job and became a library assistant in a senior secondary school at Majankote area in Rajouri district, the official said.

In 2013, he visited Pakistan and came into contact with an ISI agent there. He agreed to share with them secret information of the defence forces in exchange of money.

“However, the earlier visit to Gujranwala in Pakistan, where many of Khan’s relatives live, had nothing to do with any source in the High Commission as he was not in touch with intelligence operatives by then,” the official said.

Khan soon started cultivating sources in the Indian Army and BSF, and some of them allegedly started passing him secret documents, the official added.