Thamim Ansari, the suspect who allegedly videographed vital defence installations at the behest of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), has been detained under the National Security Act. Sleuths of the ‘Q’ Branch CID served the detention order on Ansari at the Tiruchi central prison hours ahead of his remand extension, police sources said on Friday.
Acting on a tip-off from the Intelligence Bureau, the State police arrested Ansari in September last when he was proceeding to the Tiruchi airport to take a flight to Colombo. He was in possession of CDs that contained video clippings of sensitive defence establishments and ports in Tamil Nadu. Interrogation of the suspect revealed that he was working for a couple of agents hired by a diplomat attached to the Pakistani High Commission in Sri Lanka.
After investigation corroborated with the statements of Ansari, police registered a case against Amir Zubai Siddiqui, Counsellor (Visa), Pakistan High Commission, Colombo, and two others, the sources said.
“He was shooting videos on the pretext of making a movie titled ‘Power of India’. Besides the visuals of vital installations, there were some other visuals pertaining to certain cruel acts,” a top police official told The Hindu .
Though it appears that the suspect was operating for at least a year, it is not clear as to the number of CD consignments he might have passed on to his handlers – Haji and Shaji in Colombo.
“Since he was running losses in his business ventures, Ansari took these assignments. The agencies interested in the video clippings promised to make his import/export business profitable in Sri Lanka.”
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) was likely to take over investigation in the case soon.
