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UP ATS arrests two from Mumbai with ‘ISI links’
The two accused identified as Armaan Ali Sayyed, 65, of Jogeshwari east, Mumbai, and Mohd Salman Siddiqui, 25, of Wazirganj area of UP’s Gonda district, says ADG
LUCKNOW The UP Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested two persons from Mumbai, suspected to be linked with Pakistan’s intelligence agency - Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), said ATS officials here on Tuesday.
After their arrest on Sunday, the duo was brought to Lucknow on Tuesday for legal proceedings after procurement of their transit remand from a Mumbai court. The action came after the arrest of Mohd Raees, an alleged agent of ISI, from Lucknow on Saturday, they said.
The two accused were identified as Armaan Ali Sayyed, 65, of Jogeshwari east, Mumbai, and Mohd Salman Siddiqui, 25, of Wazirganj area of UP’s Gonda district. The latter was currently living in Jogeshwari East, Mumbai, said Naveen Arora, ADG, UP ATS.
He said Armaan is a plumber by profession while Salman does whitewash work. Their names surfaced during interrogation of Raees, 26, a resident of Deenpurwa village in Gonda.
Raees, who used to work in a private firm in Mumbai, had revealed that Armaan had roped him to spy for the ISI and gave his contact to a Pakistani handler. The Pakistani handler contacted the suspect through WhatsApp call in early 2022. Raees later roped in his friend Salman for ISI network, said Arora.
The ADG said Raees also revealed that his Pakistani handler gave him the reference of one Hussain, after which the suspect came in touch with the latter, who directed him what type of information he had to pass on to his handler.
“The Pakistani handler gave him a Bangladeshi number and asked him to create a WhatsApp business account. Hussain was also an ISI agent and recruiter for the spy network in India,” he added.
After the arrest of Raees, the ATS had registered an FIR under IPC sections 121-A (conspiracy to wage or attempt to wage war against India) and 123 (concealing facts with intent to facilitate design to wage war) in this connection. Charges under Section 3/5/9 of Officials Secret Act, 1923 were also slapped. The official said efforts were on to trace Hussain and other people associated with this spy network.
