E-Paper
ISI agent involved in drugs, arms smuggling nabbed in UP’s Muzaffarnagar
The accused, Tahseem alias ‘Mota’, a resident of Shamli, was wanted by the Punjab Police since 2019 in a dacoity planning case lodged in Jalandhar
LUCKNOW Wanted for five years, an ISI agent allegedly involved in smuggling drugs, Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) and firearms and distributing these to different people to disturb law and order and wage war against the country, was arrested by the UP Special Task Force (STF) from west UP’s Muzaffarnagar late on Wednesday night, said DG (law and order), Prashant Kumar here on Thursday.
The accused Tahseem alias ‘Mota’, a resident of Shamli, was wanted by the Punjab Police since 2019 in a dacoity planning case lodged in Jalandhar. He was also wanted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for the past two years in a case of Narcotics Drugs Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), 1967, lodged in Delhi, he said.
“The accused managed to escape twice when one of his accomplices Imran was arrested along with FICN to the face value of ₹6,08,300 in Shamli on August 2 last year, and when his brother Kaleem was arrested for fraud and outraging religious sentiments in Shamli on August 16,” he added.
STF ADG Amitabh Yash said he is a close aide of Shamli’s Kairana resident Iqbal Kana, who is believed to be in Pakistan, involved in nefarious activities from there with the help of the ISI. The arrested accused Tahseem also frequently visited Pakistan and was working for ISI handler Dilshad alias Mirza, with whom he came in touch in around 2002. Since then, he was involved in supplying and circulating FICN in different parts of the country.
The accused was arrested thrice, along with FICN, and remained in jail for seven years after being convicted in one of these cases and came out jail after completing the sentence in 2016. He was first arrested along with one Amir Ahmad, carrying FICN to the face value ₹70,000 in Shamli, and then along with one Raman Sharma, carrying FICN to the face value of ₹8 lakh in Delhi.
He was arrested again while travelling in a car along with ₹22 lakh in Amritsar, said the officer.
The ADG said he first visited Pakistan in 2002 and visited his aunt’s house in Kot Addu before shifting to Lahore. He stayed at the house of Iqbal Kana’s close aide Hamida, also a resident of Shamli. Later, he came in touch with ISI handler Dilshad alias Mirza.
