Pakistan spy case: NIA searches 3 locations in Kolkata, travel agency owner summoned
In the National Investigation Agency (NIA) raids conducted across the country in connection with the arrests linked to Pakistan espionage case, searches were conducted at three locations in Kolkata on Saturday. The officials also summoned a travel agency owner to its office for questioning with regard to some dubious money transactions.
According to NIA sources, in Kolkata the searches were held at shop in Alipore, a travel agency in Khidderpore and a hotel in Park Circus.
In all, raids were held at 15 locations in Delhi, Haryana, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Assam in connection with the arrest of CRPF Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Moti Ram Jat in Delhi for allegedly leaking classified information to Pakistani intelligence operatives in return of money.
According to sources in the NIA, there were some suspicious money transactions through the travel agency office on three occasions, including one on April 3, 2024. These transactions are being investigated.
Travel agency owner, Mohammed Masood Alam, has been summoned by the NIA for questioning on Monday. Alam told reporters that NIA officials searched his office regarding some money transfers.
'They were asking about a specific amount, but that transaction was not found. We had done three transactions in 2024 through third-party apps like Pay Point India. We do not personally know the person who came for those transactions. We only verify Aadhaar cards and process the transactions as per our job. The account number, where the money was transferred, was provided by the customer himself,' said Alam whose phone and laptop have been seized.
'As far as we know, it was said to be a Pakistan-based account. But Indian money cannot be directly sent to a Pakistan account through these platforms. This is my livelihood, and I've always done my work honestly, just like others in this business,' said Alam, adding that he would cooperate with the investigation agency. 'I have not done anything wrong. I only did my job, nothing else.'
Sources said that the activity of arrested ASI, Moti Ram Jat, who was posted in Pahalgam, was under the scanner for weeks, and was transferred to Delhi just five days before the April 22 terror attack that killed 26 civilians.
Prior to Pahalgam terror attack, it was found that Haryana-based YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra who was arrested on May 16 on charges of espionage had reportedly visited Kolkata thrice.
During her visits she had taken videos and pictures of important places like Sealdah railway station, Howrah Railway station, and Bali bridge.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
7 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Crackdown against illegal immigrants has to follow due process
In the wake of the brutal terrorist attack on Pahalgam, the government has done the right thing by heightening security across the country. It has intensified operations against terrorists and given greater urgency to increasing surveillance along the borders. Last month, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs issued an order asking states and Union Territories to detect and deport foreigners, especially people from Bangladesh and Myanmar, living illicitly in the country. The Centre's instructions have prompted several states to intensify their ongoing operations against suspected illegal immigrants. From the West Bengal government's allegation, earlier this year, of BSF's laxity against Bangladeshi 'infiltrators' to Delhi's erstwhile AAP government's drive against 'illegal Bangladeshi' students to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's frequent diatribes against immigrants from India's eastern neighbour, the issue of illegal immigration has raised its head time and again in the heat and dust of Indian politics. The Centre and state governments must understand that the current moment has a far more compelling imperative than polarising politics — the two should be kept scrupulously apart. However, reports in this newspaper shine a light on the disquieting tendency among authorities to ignore court proceedings — and take the short cut bypassing due process. Among the people caught in the no man's land between India and Bangladesh is an Assam school teacher whose citizenship case is being heard by the Supreme Court. And, days ago, a 50-year-old woman was pushed into Bangladesh and then brought back after her lawyer flagged that she was legally in the clear. In Assam and several other regions of the Northeast, the movement of people across the mostly porous border across Bangladesh is an immensely sensitive and fraught issue. On the one hand, the movement of people across regions has a long history that predates Partition. On the other hand, the anti-outsider sentiment was the major trigger for the Assam agitation and has often led to violence in the state. In recent years, the state's BJP government has stoked anxieties around identity and demography by framing the narrative in communal terms. The state government's aggressive use of the Foreigner's Tribunal – it sets March 25, 1971, as the cut-off date for citizenship in Assam – has left thousands with an uncertain future. The onus is almost always on the accused to prove their citizenship. Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has cited a Supreme Court directive of February in support of the latest anti-immigration drive. However, Sarma's past pronouncements — especially his use of dog whistles, 'land jihad' and 'flood jihad,' to refer to the migrant problem — do not inspire confidence. The Assam CM has said that the recent drive does not target people who have appealed to the courts after the revocation of their nationality by a tribunal. Last week, however, the Gauhati High Court had to intercede on behalf of two such people, whose families fear that they may have been 'pushed out' to Bangladesh. That Myanmar and Bangladesh are in political turmoil today doesn't make the task any easier. That should not, however, be the rationale for rounding off suspected illegal migrants and pushing them across borders. On immigration crackdown, the short-cut will always be more expedient — most of the victims are vulnerable and without adequate representation — but due process, even if it is a long haul, needs to be followed and seen to be followed. Only then will it engender a security that endures.
Mint
43 minutes ago
- Mint
Over 2,000 illegal immigrants deported to Bangladesh amid massive crackdown after Op Sindoor: Report
At least 2,000 alleged illegal Bangladeshi immigrants have been 'pushed back' across the border by Indian authorities since Operation Sindoor began in the early hours of May 7, according to a report. The action was taken following a nationwide verification exercise along the Bangladesh border in Tripura, Meghalaya, and Assam, according to the report in The Indian Express. The action began along the borders in Gujarat which accounts for half of the illegal immigrants sent back to their country, the report said quoting officials. Among other states, Delhi and Haryana, have also sent back immigrants in large numbers. The immigrants have also been sent back in Assam, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, according to the report. The action is being carried out based on the instructions from Union Ministry of Home Affairs. 'It is an ongoing process and all states which have cities with significant economic activity are rounding up such illegal immigrants after verification of their documents. A focused effort began in this direction following the Pahalgam attacks in April. Since Operation Sindoor, it has picked up pace,' the report quoted an unnamed official. After political changes in Bangladesh in August 2024, on the directions of MHA, the States started a crackdown on illegally staying foreigners in the country. After the Pahalgam terror attack on 22 April 2025, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs asked the states to intensify the drive against undocumented migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on 22 May that India has asked Bangladesh to verify the nationality of 2,369 'illegal migrants' so that they can be deported. The MEA said that some cases have been pending for more than five years. The report said that these illegal immigrants are first taken to the borders from the states in IAF aircraft where these are handed over to the Border Security Force. They are then kept in makeshift camps at the border where they are provided with food and some Bangladeshi currency, if needed, before being sent back to their country, the report said. 'Because of largescale reports about a crackdown, many illegal immigrants from Bangladesh are voluntarily leaving the country for the fear of being detained,' the official said in the report. India carried out precision strikes under Operation Sindoor on nine terror infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, on 7 May in response to the22 April Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, mostly tourists in Jammu and Kashmir. Following the Indian action, Pakistan attempted to attackIndian military baseson 8, 9 and 10 May. The Pakistani attempts were strongly responded to by the Indian side by inflicting heavy damage to a number of key Pakistani military installations, including air bases, air defence systems, command and control centres and radar sites. The process is ongoing in many states. Last week, Delhi Police has said that approximately 900 illegal Bangladeshi nationals residing in the national capital have been identified and will be deported after proper verification. Delhi's Special Commissioner of Police, Crime Branch, Devesh Chandra Srivastava, said that the process of deporting undocumented migrants has gained momentum in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack. As many as 160 undocumented migrants from Bangladesh were flown on an Indian Air Force (IAF) plane to Agartala from Ghaziabad on 25 May to be sent across to the neighbouring country. The Maharashtra government is also conducting a similar exercise with the Mumbai Police saying last month that about 300 illegal Bangladeshis have been deported in recent times. Maharashtra Police said 766 such illegal immigrants have been arrested so far this year. "Our government will not do injustice to any such government will not do injustice to anyone except Bangladeshi infiltrators. Action will be taken against those who are eligible for action, the general public will not be harassed," Cabinet Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said. Earlier Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told reporters that India has adopted a new 'push back' strategy to tackle infiltration from Bangladesh. Sarma said the Centre has deported illegal immigrants, including Rohingyas, from different parts of the country, including from the Matia detention centre in Goalpara - one of the largest facilities in the country housing illegal immigrants in the country. On 26 May, Brigadier General Md. Nazim-ud-Daula, director of the Military Operations Directorate of the Bangladesh Army, said at a press conference in Dhaka that 'push-ins are unacceptable'. Our government will not do injustice to anyone except Bangladeshi infiltrators. 'BGB (Border Guards Bangladesh) is handling it efficiently, and if needed, the army will step in under government instruction. For now, BGB is managing well, within international protocols,' he said, according to Daily Star, Bangladesh.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Siblings die by suicide in East Delhi
A 32-year-old man and his 30-year-old sister died by suicide and their bodies were found in their rented apartment in east Delhi's Dilshad Garden on Sunday morning. Police said the siblings likely died a few days back as foul stench was emanating from the flat, which prompted the neighbours to call police. When police reached the flat in pocket D at around 8.30am, they found the flat locked from outside. 'When the door was opened with the help of the landlord, the siblings were found dead. They had been living there on rent since 2021,' deputy commissioner of police (Shahdara) Prashant Gautam said. The deceased hailed from Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh, police said, adding that the brother worked in an IT firm in the Capital while the sister was pursuing MBA from a private college in the city. Investigation revealed that the siblings had been living alone after their mother's death in 2021. Their father, who was in the Indian army, had died in 2011. A senior police officer said, 'We didn't find any suicide note or signs of foul play. It looks like they ended their lives a few days back. Neighbours said the duo hardly interacted with anyone and didn't leave their house much. We also contacted distant family members who said the siblings had no close relatives and kept to themselves.' The landlord told HT, 'I live close by and was called in the morning. I didn't expect this. I was shocked. They (siblings) were very nice and humble. They always gave rent on time and never created any issue. It was only last month when they failed to pay the rent but I didn't push because I was sure they would pay later.' A neighbour said she would try to talk to the siblings but they didn't interact with anyone. 'I even invited them for my brother's wedding, but they didn't come. I knew about their parents and felt bad as they always stayed indoors,' she said. Meanwhile, police said they reached out to relatives who said they tried to indulge with the siblings on multiple occasions and for family functions but the two stopped coming after 2021. 'They shifted to Delhi and focused on their work and studies. We don't know if finances were an issue because they never took anyone's help,' a relative told the police.
