ATS arrests two, including suspected ISI agent, from Jogeshwari

Two persons, including a suspected ISI agent and recruiter, were arrested in Mumbai for allegedly helping an ISI agent supply information about Indian military establishments to Pakistan. The suspects were arrested in a joint operation by the Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh anti-terrorism squads.

MUMBAI: Two persons, including a suspected agent and recruiter for Pakistan’s Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI), were arrested from Jogeshwari on Sunday following a joint operation by the Juhu unit of the Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad (ATS) and the Uttar Pradesh ATS.

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The duo is said to have helped another suspected ISI agent Mohamad Raees, who was arrested in UP for allegedly supplying information about Indian military establishments to his handler in Pakistan.

Police officials said the UP ATS arrested Raees, a native of Gonda district, on Sunday. The two suspects arrested from Mumbai are identified as Sayyed Armaan, 62, who has allegedly recruited another suspect Mohammad Salman Siddhique, 24. Both are residents of Jogeshwari.

On Monday, a team of UP ATS reached the city and took custody of the duo. They were then taken to UP under a transit remand obtained from a local court, said a senior officer with the Maharashtra ATS.

An ATS officials said Armaan was in touch with an ISI agent and had recruited Raees for conducting recce of military installations in Uttar Pradesh and providing information to handler in Pakistan.

Armaan runs a tea stall in Jogeshwari while Salman has a mobile repairing shop in the same locality. Their interrogation has revealed that Armaan was helping Raees financially and had sent him money several times.

Armaan was born and brought up in Mumbai, but his native place is in UP. Raees, came to Mumbai last year for work and stayed at Armaan’s place. Raees wanted to go to Saudi Arabia for work, but ended up running a tea stall, said a police official.

Armaan had allegedly offered to pay sizeable amounts to Raees, if he agreed to collect information about India’s military establishments, the latter had revealed during his interrogation, said the ATS official.

Raees also revealed that he agreed to the proposal and went back to UP, where he got a call from a foreigner, who identified himself as Hussain, and asked him to gather information about defence establishments.

Armaan had visited UP a few months back and collected information about cantonment areas, and was in touch with his Pakistani handler, said the ATS official.

The UP ATS had kept Raees under surveillance and nabbed him. During interrogation, Raees revealed the name of Armaan, who had roped him in and got him in touch with his Pakistani handler.

The money from Pakistan came to Armaan, who passed it on to Raees. Based on the information received from Raees, it was learnt that Armaan was based in Jogeshwari in Mumbai and the Maharashtra ATS was alerted. The Juhu ATS unit accordingly apprehended Armaan and Salman.