LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) has arrested a man in Moradabad suspected of spying for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), as the hunt for ISI agents operating on Indian soil intensifies following Operation Sindoor.
The accused, identified as Shahzad, is a resident of Suar Tanda in Rampur district of western Uttar Pradesh. He came on the agency's radar following a tip off on him being involved in cross-border smuggling and spying as an agent for ISI. Shahzad had allegedly been passing sensitive information related to national security to his handlers in Pakistan said the sources in ATS.
He had travelled to Pakistan on multiple occasions, a fact confirmed by his wife, said the sources.
Shahzad is accused of being allegedly involved in the smuggling of items such as cosmetics, clothes, spices, and others across the border. As per the police sources, besides passing on intelligence inputs to ISI, Shahzad was also suspected to be involved in running the operations for Pakistan's intelligence agency in India. He was entrusted by his handlers across the border to expand his network by recruiting people in India.
Sources claimed that Shahzad had added over 20 people till date, including three women with an ISI network in UP. The three women's modules belong to Sambhal, Moradabad and Rampur in western UP. The ATS is currently on a hunt for the three women.
Meanwhile, an FIR has been lodged against Shahzad in Lucknow. The probe revealed that Shahzad used to transfer money to other Pakistani agents working in India. He also allegedly helped some people from UP visit Pakistan on the pretext of business but with the actual aim of hiring them for activities related to ISI. These people were allegedly sent to Pakistan with visas and travel documents arranged with the help of ISI agents.
Shahzad has also helped arrange Indian SIM cards for ISI agents operating in India. As per Shahzad’s wife, Razia, her husband owns and runs a textile and readymade garments business for which he used to travel to Pakistan, particularly Lahore, to bring unstitched ladies' suit pieces to India.
Razia claimed that Shahzad was being framed in the espionage case. She claimed that her husband was illiterate and did not have links with anyone across the border.
