Indian Cook Helped ISI Spy On Diplomat In Pak, Gave Critical Intel, Say Police
lucknow, May 24: Investigators on Wednesday arrested a man from Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh district on suspicion that he had bugged an Indian diplomat's house in Pakistan and provided intel to the country's spy agency ISI while working as a domestic help till last year.
Ramesh Singh was a cook at the residence of a senior officer with the Indian Embassy in Pakistan and exchanged crucial information with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence or ISI for money, the police said. He worked at the diplomat's house between 2015 and 2017.
"The house of the officer was bugged. The officer's devices (laptop and phone) were also bugged. It seems the ISI used temporary employees at the embassy involved in cleaning operations to get in touch with Ramesh," Anand Kumar, a senior police officer, said at a briefing in Lucknow on Thursday.
He used to go through the laptop, other electronic devices, diaries and files to pass on information to ISI agents, the police said.
"During his interrogation, we have learnt that ISI also tried to get information from Ramesh about military installations in UP," Mr Kumar added.
According to the police, Ramesh claimed he had agreed to work for the ISI to repay his debts and was paid in dollars. "We have found that Ramesh was under debt from banks and from money lenders. Ramesh says he was paid 1,300 dollars. He was in debt of about 8 to 9 lakh rupees. And he has paid back most of this money. So it seems he got more money too," Mr Kumar said.
Ramesh had got the job at the diplomat's house in Pakistan through his brother who is in the Indian Army. "It seems the brother knew this officer and he requested that Ramesh be employed as a cook," the police officer said.
The police have denied there is any evidence that any officer in the embassy was involved.
Ramesh was arrested in a joint operation by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad, the Uttarakhand Police and the Directorate of Military Intelligence. A phone has been recovered from him, the police said. The capture of a suspected terrorist from Uttar Pradesh's Faizabad earlier this month led to his arrest.
Courtesy: NDTV
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10 held for sale of prohibited narcotic substances in Bengaluru
Bengaluru (PTI): In a major crackdown, the Bengaluru police on Thursday announced the arrest of 10 people allegedly involved in the sale of prohibited narcotic substances in parts of the city.
Among them are three foreign nationals, including two women, they said.
With their arrests, police claimed to have seized 5 kg of MDMA (crystal), 1 kg of cocaine, 21 kg ganja, and 19 gms ecstasy pills and a two-wheeler used in the commission of crime.
The seized drugs are worth Rs 11.81 crore, with an estimated market value of Rs 23.63 crore, they added.
According to police, based on credible information received on various dates, officers and staff came to know that prohibited narcotic substances such as MDMA (crystal), cocaine, ganja, and ecstasy pills were being sold within the limits of Yelahanka New Town, D J Halli, Koramangala, Bommanahalli, and Pulakeshinagar Police Stations.
Acting on this information, cases were registered under the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act at the respective police stations, and raids were conducted at the identified locations, a senior police officer said.
During these operations, a total of 10 accused persons were apprehended on different dates, he said.
During interrogation, the accused confessed that, with the intention of making quick money, they were procuring narcotic substances such as MDMA (crystal), cocaine, ganja, and ecstasy pills from foreign, interstate, and local unidentified suppliers at lower prices, and selling them to the public, including college students, the officer said.
Efforts are on to trace the foreign and interstate suppliers involved in supplying these narcotic substances. Investigation in the cases is in progress, police said.
All 10 accused were produced before the Court on different dates and have been remanded to judicial custody, they added.
