New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a Kolkata-based man for allegedly working as a spy for Pakistan intelligence officers and sharing confidential security-related information in what the agency described as an anti-India terror conspiracy.
The accused, Zafar Riaz alias Rizvi, was taken into custody after the agency had already issued a Look-Out Circular against him. Proceedings were also underway to declare him a Proclaimed Offender when the NIA moved in, as reported by India Today.
Espionage Allegations
The NIA said Zafar has been booked under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Official Secrets Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The agency also said he is married to a Pakistani national and that his children are Pakistani citizens.
Investigators, the agency said, found that Zafar had earlier been convicted in an espionage case under the Indian Penal Code and the Official Secrets Act. It added that he had travelled frequently between India and Pakistan since 2005.
According to the NIA, during one of his visits to Pakistan, Pakistan Intelligence Officers allegedly approached him and cultivated him for espionage activity in India in return for financial inducements and a promise of Pakistani citizenship.
OTP Link
The agency alleged that Zafar provided One-Time Passwords (OTPs) linked to Indian telecom mobile numbers to a PIO, helping activate WhatsApp accounts. It said those accounts were then used by the PIO to communicate covertly with another accused in the case, Motiram Jat.
The NIA said Motiram Jat was also involved in passing sensitive security-related information to the PIO. The agency added that the probe is continuing to identify others linked to the espionage network and to unravel the wider conspiracy behind the operation.
