Alleged spy met Jodhpur MP for visa help?

The arrested alleged spy Shoaib, who was arrested on charges of spying for a Pakistani diplomat posted in Delhi, had met a parliamentarian from Rajasthan seeking his help in recommending visas for four Pakistani citizens. Shoaib revealed during interrogation, five days after he was arrested. The Delhi Police last Thursday busted a spy ring run by Pakistan ISI agent Mehmood Akhtar, posted in the Pak high commission.

Shoaib told the police that last year he had approached Jodhpur MP Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in Delhi. Shekhawat confirmed to HT that Shoaib had approached him but he denied writing any recommendation. On his Facebook page, Shoaib has uploaded his photographs with many politicians at social gatherings.

“I do not know him personally. I met him during election rallies. These days people come and take selfies with politicians during campaigns. He must have been one such person. As far as I remember, the men for whom he was seeking visas were to come to Barmer so I advised him to meet the local MP there. After that meeting, I did not meet him,” the Lok Sabha MP said.

Police sources confirmed Shekhawat had not given any recommendation but said they have found many letters written by other politicians who had requested the Jodhpur magistrate’s office to help Shoaib set his passport cum visa shop at the passport office. Police have said that Shoaib had met Pakistan high commission staffer Akhtar while seeking visa in 2014 for his visit to Pakistan. For the last two years, Shoaib was helping Akhtar find people who were willing to spy for him in exchange for money.

Shoaib told the police that he has been to Pakistan six times in the last two years. He confessed that while his father is a Rajasthan resident, his mother is originally from Pakistan. Using his maternal family’s connection he had visited Pakistan six times.

The police have also sent Shoaib’s tablet to the central forensic science laboratory. Sources said Shoaib destroyed his tablet when he spotted the Rajasthan police on October 27 at a railway station in Rajasthan. The Jodhpur police have also collected the CCTV footage from outside Shoaib’s house. He had recently installed CCTV cameras at his house.

TWO MEN DETAINED FROM RAJASTHAN

Meanwhile, the crime branch has detained two men from Nagaur, Rajasthan for their alleged role in helping accused men Shoaib, Maulana Ramzan and Subhash Jangir get information from retired BSF personnel settled in the border areas. The crime branch has taken the three men to Nagaur and Jodhpur to identify those who were helping them get information from borders. Arif, who works with a wedding band and Liaquat, a goldsmith have been picked up, said sources. Another man named Usman is also learnt to have been detained but it could not be confirmed.

“We are probing their role in the spy ring. They are locals who knew most of the BSF personnel posted in border. We are looking at the list of the retired BSP personnel recovered from them,” said a senior officer.