ISI Espionage Network: Alleged spies deleted all whatsapp conversations.
The Crime Branch of Delhi Police will be questioning a retired army officer based in Jammu and Kashmir after his name cropped up several times during questioning of Kaifaitullah Khan and Abdul Rasheed, both arrested on charges of spying for Pakistan. According to sources, a team of investigators will be dispatched to J&K sometime this week to question the senior ranking army officer who retired from service recently.Investigators of Crime Branch will also be hunting for more evidence in Jammu and Kashmir as most of the documents allegedly dispatched to Pakistani intelligence agencies were sent using WhatsApp and the record of the same were deleted afterwards.<!– Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>Officials said that besides the retired army officer, some other colleagues of BSF head constable Abdul Rasheed, who is accused of providing secret information to his Pakistani handlers, might also be questioned in the process. Senior officials of the Crime Branch refused to name the army officer saying that “revealing any information about the accused might interfere in the ongoing investigation”.Meanwhile, investigators told dna, that new details about the modus operandi of the espionage network have emerged following interrogation of Kaifaitullah alias Master Raja. According to sources Kaifaitullah was initially reluctant to work for a Pakistani intelligence operative (PIO) named Faizal, who had approached him in Gujrawala, Pakistan two years ago.”Kaifaitullah Khan was only permitted to visit a few places, including Islamabad. But some of his relatives were in Gujrawala. A PIO by the name Faizal approached him there and told him that he would be arrested because he was not supposed to travel beyond Islamabad.”Later the same PIO took him to the local police station where he was kept for days and ultimately convinced to develop sources in the Indian Army. According to the accused, the PIO threatened to hurt his extended family in Pakistan after which he was left with no choice but to work for him,” said a source in the Crime Branch. Other than his liaison with Abdul Rasheed, Kaifaitullah had allegedly managed to infiltrate Indian armed forces as well as the BSF.Crime Branch officials also believe that this particular network for now, seems to be limited within the Jammu and Kashmir but did not deny the possibility of similar networks within the armed forces stationed across the country.”After confiscating mobile phone of the accused, we found out that the whatsapp conversation were wiped clean. We are trying to retrieve mobile phones belonging to PIO’s in Pakistan. For now we are relying on the multiple bank transactions under which money was deposited into the accounts of the two accused. The accused have mentioned the Jammu and Kashmir based bank and we will be approaching the same to retrieve concerned documents,” said a senior police officer.Kaifaitullah was arrested on Thursday when he was on his way to Bhopal for a religious gathering while, Rasheed was arrested on Sunday. Rasheed is accused of procuring documents related to security deployment in India and sending them to his cousin Kaifaitullah. Families of the accused men have claimed their innocence stating that the duo are being framed.
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Crime Branch to question ex-army officer in probe of ISI espionage network
