Espionage: Delhi Police trying track 'money trail' from Pakistan to India

NEW DELHI: With the arrest of an alleged ISI operative and a serving BSF personnel, Delhi Police is now trying to track a money trail from Pakistan to India -- routed through the Middle East -- to pay off spies operating in an suspected pan-India network.

Kafaitullah Khan alias Master Raja, an alleged handler of the Pakistan Intelligence Operative (PIO), running an espionage racket here backed by the spy outfit, had met another ISI-backed handler at Gujrawala in Pakistan in 2013, his last visit to the country, said an official privy to the probe.

During investigation, Khan told the police that his counterpart in Pakistan had promised him huge money for passing on secret and confidential information.

When Khan started doing so, he was put on a permanent pay roll and promised performance-based appraisals, said the official.

"Records obtained so far from bank accounts in Jammu and Rajouri district have revealed that Khan used to get a fixed pay of around Rs 20,000 per month through money transfers," the official said.

Almost all the money transfers received by Khan were routed either through UAE or through Saudi Arabia. Further investigation revealed that the money actually came from Pakistan, said the official.

However, these were transfers received only through the official banking channels. Khan could have received potentially high funds through private money transfer agencies or through illegal routes. Further interrogation is expected to provide the Crime Branch with more information on the money trail, said the official.

The police are also verifying reports alleging Khan's involvement in a human-organ trafficking racket at Jammu and Kashmir, said Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ravindra Yadav, adding that the police are currently clueless in connection with that matter.

So far, Khan has claimed that he was booked by the police twice for allegedly getting involved in fights during protests at Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir between 2013 and 14, said police.

Khan's cousin, Abdul Rasheed, a serving head constable at the intelligence wing of BSF in J&K's Rajouri district, was lured by Khan into the alleged espionage racket. He later became one of Khan's prime sources, said a senior police official.

Rasheed had served at border areas in West Bengal and Gujarat before being posted to the intelligence wing at Rajouri, his native place, in 2012, around a year before he joined hands with Khan, said the official.

With the espionage racket flourishing, the PIO started to give them proper assignments mainly concerned with the deployment of security forces and Air Force operations, said the official.

Initially, Khan used to pay Rasheed on per document basis, from the remuneration which he allegedly used to receive for spying. With time, Khan introduced Rasheed to his counterpart in Pakistan and they started exchanging secret information through e-mail, WhatsApp and Viber networks, the official said.

Rasheed too is suspected to have been put on a permanent pay roll, like Khan. However, the money trail in connection with Rasheed is yet to be traced, said police.

"Ascertaining the identity of the PIO handler in Pakistan and other associates suspected to be spying for the racket in India is possible through proper tracing of the money trail," said a senior official, adding that the Economic Offences Wing of Delhi Police is also likely to be roped in for their expertise in the subject.

Police haven't yet ruled out that the alleged espionage racket -- in connection with which Khan and Rasheed have been arrested and another Army personnel at Rajouri is under scanner -- could be a part of a pan-India network, said a senior official.

The police will also verify if Khan and Rasheed have any connections with the alleged ISI operatives arrested in Kolkata yesterday and another arrested in Meerut Cantonment area in previous week, the official added.

Khan and Rasheed have been booked under provisions of the Officials Secrets Act after the police recovered secret documents disclosing locations of troop deployment and their movements -- with regard to security forces and the army -- from their possession, said police.

They have been taken into seven days police custody during which the police will try to ascertain what documents they had traded so far with counterparts across the border, police added.