Lucknow: A businessman from Rampur in Uttar Pradesh has been arrested for allegedly spying for Pakistan. The man, identified as Shahzad, was arrested by the Special Task Force (STF) of the Uttar Pradesh Police from Moradabad, it has been reported.
According to officials, Shahzad travelled to Pakistan frequently in the guise of a businessman. He was apparently involved in cross-border smuggling. During his visits to Pakistan, he was befriended by operatives of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and offered money to collect and pass on classified information regarding India’s security forces.
“It is suspected that he passed on sensitive information related to national security to his handlers. He had travelled to Pakistan multiple times over the years and was involved in smuggling cosmetics, clothes, spices, and other items across the border. His illegal trade served as a cover for conducting his covert operations for the ISI,” an official said.
The investigation has also revealed that Shahzad used to provide money, Indian SIM cards and other logistics support to ISI agents in India.
The STF also claimed that he used to send people from the Rampur district and other parts of Uttar Pradesh to Pakistan to work for the ISI.
“The visas of these people were arranged by the ISI agents,” the official claimed. A search is on for such people.
The arrest comes days after the YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra was apprehended from Hisar in Haryana on charges of spying for Pakistan.