In a dramatic turn of events that has serious implications for national security, a Rajasthan government official has been arrested on suspicion of spying for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Shakur Khan, who works as an Assistant Administrative Officer in the Employment Office in Jaisalmer, was arrested after being under surveillance by the Rajasthan Intelligence Unit for a long time.
As per Inspector General of Police (CID Security) Vishnu Kant Gupta, Khan was on the watchlist for a long time because of suspicious activities. Security agencies beefed up their surveillance after it was found that Khan stayed in touch with people based in the Pakistan Embassy, especially Ahsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, and Sohail Qamar.
It should be mentioned that Danish was already a “persona non grata” which means an unwelcomed person, to the Indian government and had been deported to Pakistan beforehand. Nevertheless, Khan remained engaged in secret communications and also traveled to Pakistan several times. His travel documents were allegedly obtained with the assistance of Danish, and he met with ISI agents during his visits, authorities claim.
On his return to India, Khan allegedly obtained sensitive documents and sent them to his Pakistani handlers over digital media such as WhatsApp. As an operative, he had access to highly sensitive government documents, making it more worrying thing. These events led to his arrest under the strict Official Secrets Act of 1923. He is now being subjected to further questioning at Jaipur’s Central Interrogation Centre.
In a similar case, Punjab police, in collaboration with Counter-Intelligence Punjab and Tarn Taran Police, arrested another suspected ISI operative, Gagandeep Singh. He was discovered to be directly connected with Pakistan’s intelligence network and notorious Khalistani sympathizer Gopal Singh Chawla.
Investigators assert that Singh had been sharing sensitive military intelligence regarding troop deployments and strategic locations during Operation Sindoor. His undercover spying operations allegedly go back five years and consist of frequent contact with Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIOs). He reportedly also received payments remitted through Indian financial networks, making the case more complex.
