Two persons arrested in Pakistan espionage case sent to 12-day police custody

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court today sent two persons, arrested in connection with the alleged Pakistan espionage case, to 12-day custody of the police which said their custodial interrogation was needed to unearth the larger conspiracy. The investigating officer said Maulana Ramzan and Subhash Jangir, who were allegedly working for an ISI spy ring, were produced before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Satish Arora and remanded for custodial interrogation till November 8. Police claimed the duo were involved in the espionage ring in which a staffer of the Pakistan High Commission, Mehmood Akhtar, described as the kingpin of a spy ring working for Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence, was detained by police for alleged possession of sensitive defence documents. Akhtar, who worked in the visa section of the High Commission and has diplomatic immunity, was released after prolonged questioning as he enjoyed diplomatic immunity, police said. He was declared persona non-grata and has been given 48 hours to leave the country. During the proceedings, police alleged that more persons were likely to be apprehended in the case and the recovery of certain documents and others things was also to be made with the help of the two accused. According to police, Ramzan and Jangir, both of whom hail from Rajasthan, were providing critical data to Akhtar. "The accused were involved in espionage activities for over a year-and-a-half. We were watching their activities for past six months. On a specific input, they were held yesterday. Akhtar is a kingpin of the spy ring," it said. The investigating officer alleged that Akhtar had initially shown an Aadhar card in the name of Mehboob Rajput but after sustained interrogation, he revealed his real name. During interrogation, Akhtar said he was posted in the Pakistan High Commission here for about two-and-a-half years and was working in the visa section, police said. He said he was on deputation to the ISI since January 2013. He was a serving Hawaldar of 40 Baloch Regiment of Pakistan Army and a native of village Kahuta in Rawalpindi district, police said. There is likelihood of involvement of other persons as per the information elicited from him which is being investigated, the police said, adding that another Jodhpur- based person, who has been identified as Shoaib, will also be arrested soon for his involvement in the espionage ring.