Within 24 hours of the arrest of an alleged ISI agent in Faizabad on Wednesday, the Uttar Pradesh police have arrested two persons on the charge of funding him at the behest of the Pakistani agency.
The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), in a joint operation with the Maharashtra ATS, arrested alleged hawala operator Altaf Qureshi on Wednesday evening and his aide Javed on Thursday from Mumbai.
The U.P. ATS had arrested the alleged ISI agent Aftab Ali from Faizabad on Wednesday.
He is accused of gathering confidential information about the Indian military and passing it on to the ISI in Pakistan and officials in the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. He is believed to have shared information about the movement of the Army in Faizabad and Lucknow, appointments of its battalions, the time and date of certain Army regiments’ train journeys and the size of the Army platoon in Amritsar.
Aftab, police claimed, was in touch with the Pakistan embassy.
He had met an officer of the Pakistan Embassy, identified as Meherban Ali, in the national capital, Uttar Pradesh ADG, Law and Order, Aditya Mishra said.
“On Meherban Ali’s instructions, Javed would arrange funds for Altaf Qureshi, who would then deposit the money into the account of Aftab Ali,” he said.
Meherban Ali was sent back to Pakistan last year after allegations of spying.
Mr. Mishra said Aftab may have been “indoctrinated” during his visits to the Pakistan embassy to obtain a visa. His request for a visa was rejected thrice. “When Aftab applied for the fourth time, Meherban Ali told him he would have to work for him if he wanted the visa,” Mr. Mishra said. Aftab passed on pictures and videos of the Army in Faizabad to Meherban Ali.
The U.P. ATS is trying to get Javed and Altaf on remand in Lucknow.
