New Delhi: The Pakistan intelligence agency ISI is targeting both serving and retired Indian servicemen to seek classified information about India's military installation.
More than a dozen arrests of defence personnel in the last few months has set the alarm bells ringing in the power corridors. Investigation by police and intercepts by Intelligence Bureau revealed a sinister plan by ISI to trap retired and serving defence personnel.
The investigation into the former India Air Force officer Ranjit revealed that alleged ISI operatives are using fake social media profiles to trap defence personnel. Intimate chat online and calls are being used to extract information like manpower and equipment strength at place of posting and other details about the military installation. Trapped servicemen are then blackmailed into sharing more sensitive details and in turn they are being paid.
The other modus operandi is ISI operatives are conning veterans by pretending to be from a ex-servicemen association and seeking details about their postings, manpower at their last posting and other relevant information, added sources. The retired men are offered money, jobs and other benefits in return of information.
The Home Ministry has already written to the Defence Ministry warning them of ISI's design and sharing with them the Intelligence Bureau inputs on the issue.
On Tuesday, Ranjit was arrested for allegedly being a part of a spy ring run by ISI. He had been dismissed from the defence force on Monday. He was posted in Bathinda and was being monitored by the IAF for three-four months. He was caught red handed by Delhi Police giving out vital information.
Ranjit, who hails from Kerala and has been sent to four days in police custody on Tuesday, will be taken to IAF bases in Jaisalmer and Gwalior. He was allegedly sent photos of the two IAF bases to his handlers. Gwalior is the biggest station of IAF fighter jets. He will also be jointly interrogated by the IAF and Intelligence Bureau.
Earlier, an Army personnel and a Border Security Force head constable were arrested on charges of espionage. More than six people linked to the armed forces have been arrested so far.
The Delhi Police has claimed to have busted an all-India spy ring being run by ISI following the arrest of a serving BSF personnel and four others. They used to supply details of Indian armed forces to the Pakistani authorities. Some of those arrested also allegedly had links with Trinamool Congress in West Bengal.
ISI handler Kafaitullah Khan was arrested for passing on information on deployment of security forces and IAF for 10 years and is suspected to have contacts in the Army too. Sources said that two of the arrested operatives got documents related to the movement and deployment of Army’s 31st Armoured Division in Jhansi.
The arrested BSF constable is Abdul Rasheed who was posted in Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir. Rasheed and Kafaitullah Khan are relatives. Rasheed is supposed to be Kafaitullah Khan's main source.
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