More moles in armed forces?
TNN | Aug 17, 2006, 04.06 AM IST
PUNE:
The arrest of suspected ISI agent Arif Lakhani has led investigating agencies to
a countrywide network of "agents", all tasked to cultivate sources within
serving defence
personnel.
Arif, who was arrested by the police at Manmad on August 1, has revealed during interrogation that there are at least 82 others, all spread across the country (except J&K and the North-Eastern states), who are trying to befriend serving defence personnel and source sensitive military information.
Arif was nabbed by the Manmad police after a tip-off by the Military Intelligence (MI) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB), while trying to board the Goa-Nizamuddin Express train to Delhi.
He was on his way to hand over military information to his handler at New Delhi, later identified as one Ali Zohair. Arif, during his interrogation, told central intelligence agencies that there are eight agents concentrating on military bases in Maharashtra alone.
These include places like Chakan in Pune, that is home to the Sukhoi squadrons at air force station, Lohegaon, and the Army's Southern Command headquarters, Ahmednagar, Nashik and Mumbai, where the Western Naval Command is located.
Arif, who was arrested by the police at Manmad on August 1, has revealed during interrogation that there are at least 82 others, all spread across the country (except J&K and the North-Eastern states), who are trying to befriend serving defence personnel and source sensitive military information.
Arif was nabbed by the Manmad police after a tip-off by the Military Intelligence (MI) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB), while trying to board the Goa-Nizamuddin Express train to Delhi.
He was on his way to hand over military information to his handler at New Delhi, later identified as one Ali Zohair. Arif, during his interrogation, told central intelligence agencies that there are eight agents concentrating on military bases in Maharashtra alone.
These include places like Chakan in Pune, that is home to the Sukhoi squadrons at air force station, Lohegaon, and the Army's Southern Command headquarters, Ahmednagar, Nashik and Mumbai, where the Western Naval Command is located.
The
primary role of these agents is to "cultivate" serving defence personnel, and
get access to critical military details, which is then "fed" to the Pakistani
handler, located in New Delhi, said a senior official from one of the central
intelligence agencies.
"It is a countrywide network where these agents have set bases in places like Palanpur, Barmer, Gwalior, Meerut and Ferozpur, to name a few," the official said, adding that these agents are also asked to keep a close tab on mobilisation of troops, and movement of artillery systems.
While efforts are on to expose the network and zero in on all others, a few of them have already been arrested at places like Gwalior and Ferozpur in the recent past.
"We are also trying to assess as to how far these agents have been successful in cultivating sources within the forces," the official said.
Investigating agencies had earlier told TOI that Arif, who is a resident of Shrirampur, Ahmednagar, has already managed to feed his New Delhi-based handler photographs of airbases in Pune, Mumbai, Jamnagar, and Nashik, besides confidential user and maintenance manuals of missiles and weapon systems.
"It is a countrywide network where these agents have set bases in places like Palanpur, Barmer, Gwalior, Meerut and Ferozpur, to name a few," the official said, adding that these agents are also asked to keep a close tab on mobilisation of troops, and movement of artillery systems.
While efforts are on to expose the network and zero in on all others, a few of them have already been arrested at places like Gwalior and Ferozpur in the recent past.
"We are also trying to assess as to how far these agents have been successful in cultivating sources within the forces," the official said.
Investigating agencies had earlier told TOI that Arif, who is a resident of Shrirampur, Ahmednagar, has already managed to feed his New Delhi-based handler photographs of airbases in Pune, Mumbai, Jamnagar, and Nashik, besides confidential user and maintenance manuals of missiles and weapon systems.