Jaipur court sends man accused of spying to 5-day police custody

A court here sent a man accused of spying for Pakistani intelligence agencies to five-day police custody on Wednesday, officials said.

The accused, Mustaq Ali (26), was produced before the court of Special Judicial Magistrate, Jaipur Metropolitan-I, by the CID (Intelligence), following his arrest on Tuesday, Special Public Prosecutor Sudesh Satwan told reporters.

The court sent Ali to police custody till June 22. The CID (Intelligence) had sought his seven-day remand for interrogation, he said.

Satwan said the agency has been maintaining strict surveillance on espionage activities allegedly being operated from across the border.

He said Ali, a resident of Higoala ki Dhani in Jaisalmer district, had come on the agency’s radar due to his activities.

According to police, preliminary investigation revealed that Ali had been in contact with handlers of Pakistani intelligence agencies through social media for the past two years.

During questioning and an examination of his mobile phone, it was found that he was tasked with monitoring the movement of the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Indian Army in the border area.

To carry out the task, the accused had opened a tea stall on a road leading towards the border and used it as a cover to observe and record movements of the security forces, Satwan said.

He said Ali would click photographs and record videos of BSF and Army activities and send them to his handlers in Pakistan in exchange for monetary benefits. Following his arrest, the accused was jointly interrogated by multiple security and investigation agencies in Jaipur. Further probe is underway to identify his network and other possible links, the officials said.