ISI agent arrested in Lucknow

LUCKNOW: The money trail of Pakistan-sponsored Pokharan espionage racket unearthed in December 2015 led to the arrest of an ISI agent from Lucknow late on Tuesday evening. The accused, Jamaluddin — a native of Ghazipur district — was arrested in a joint operation of the UP Police's anti-terrorist squad (ATS) and the Rajasthan CID.

Additional director general of police (ADG) ATS Daljeet Chaudhary said Jamaluddin was a key link to the ISI's financial trail across India and was assigned the job of transfering money to other agents who had completed the task assigned to them from their masters from across the border. Jamaluddin will be produced before a court on Wednesday where the investigators will seek his remand for further interrogation.

"It has been established beyond doubt that he has transfered funds to Gordhan Singh Rathore, a patwari in Khetolai, the village closest to the Pokhran nuclear test site who was arrested in December 2015," said Senior superintendent of Police (SSP) ATS Rajesh Pandey. An ex-Armyman, Gordhan was arrested supplying Pakistan's ISI with sensitive information about the Indian Army in Pokharan and adjoining areas. A map detailing Pokhran field firing range wasrecovered from his house at his instance.

The investigating agencies now face the task of tracing the fund flow to and from Jamaluddin which is expected to reveal details of a host of other agents who have been financed by the ISI through Jamaluddin. "He has revealed some details of other ISI agents whom he had made payments in the last one year or so but we are verifying the facts and will seek his remand for further detailed interrogation," said a source in the ATS.

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