‘He used to go to Pak to meet wife': Brother of Delhi scrap dealer held by UP ATS on espionage charge
Two days after the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested scrap dealer Mohammad Harun (45) from Seelampur on the charge of espionage, his family alleged he was being framed, and that he used to travel to Pakistan because he had a second wife there.
According to the UP ATS, Harun had links with Pakistani agencies and 'shared important information related to India's internal security'.
The ATS said Harun was working closely with an employee from the Pakistan High Commission. It said Harun was in contact with family in Pakistan, for which he needed visas to visit them. Harun would contact the High Commission employee, who would use his bank accounts to deposit money, it said.
The ATS also said Harun would receive money from the employee for sending him people who were seeking visas to Pakistan. Additionally, Harun would also receive commissions, which the ATS claimed, were used to fund anti-national activities.
The agency said the High Commission staffer has been declared 'persona non grata' by the Government of India and ordered to leave the country.
Standing in front of his three-storey house in Seelampur, Harun's brother, Wasim, told The Indian Express Friday, 'My brother was financially the weakest among us. We are four brothers. He ran a scrap shop from our house.'
Wasim was present when policemen in plainclothes arrived on Wednesday, asking Harun to accompany them to their car for questioning. 'They asked him if he had recently been to Pakistan. My brother explained he had gone to visit his wife, who lives in Gujranwala… They told him not to worry and asked him to enter the car. Then they snatched his phone and took him away,' said Wasim.
Wasim and his family called the district police for help, only to be informed late Wednesday night that his brother was in Noida with the ATS. 'The next day, around 8 am, we received a call from the ATS, asking us to come to Lucknow to meet him,' he said.
A group of relatives rushed to see how they could help. 'My brother, who met Harun, said he only kept saying that he was innocent and was being framed,' said Wasim. Lawyers informed the family that Harun had been booked under BNS sections 148 (conspiracy to wage or attempt to wage war against the Government of India) and 152 (acts endangering sovereignty, unity and integrity of India).
Wasim said Harun did have family in Pakistan. He said his brother had married twice — first in 2007 to a woman in Delhi with whom he had three children, and then recently to his cousin in Pakistan. 'It happened some time during the [Covid] lockdown,' said Wasim.
'He hid it from us at first. But when we noticed he was making frequent trips to Pakistan, we asked him what was going on. He told us he had married our paternal cousin because her husband had divorced and abandoned her… he wanted to support her and her family,' he said. Harun wanted to bring her to Delhi, he said, but did not succeed.
Wasim denied that his brother was involved in the visa business: 'Our family owns only two houses. If my brother were making so much money selling visas, wouldn't he buy a house for himself and his family?'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Spying ring: YouTuber Jasbir Singh's arrest unveils financial links, Pakistan Day event connection
Mohali: The arrest of YouTuber Jasbir Singh on charges of spying for Pakistan has led to a string of shocking revelations, exposing deeper financial links and suspicious connections to a Pakistan Day event in Delhi, revealed sources in Punjab Police's state special operations cell (SSOC) in Mohali. Jasbir, who is in two-day remand of SSOC) Mohali, is under investigation for alleged involvement in espionage activities and his ties with individuals linked to Pakistani agencies. According to sources, a 32-year-old woman from Jalandhar,said to be a close associate of Jasbir, was summoned and interrogated by SSOC for several hours. Her name surfaced during Jasbir's questioning. Investigators found she accompanied Jasbir to Delhi on multiple occasions and was present with him at a Pakistan Day programme. Access to the event was strictly through digital invitations, which Jasbir managed to procure through alleged links with a man named Danish, said to be a key figure in the espionage network, according to the sources. The interrogation of the woman revealed that Jasbir not only introduced her to several individuals in Delhi, but also provided her with financial support over a period of time. Investigating officers are now examining her bank accounts to determine the purpose of these transactions and whether they were directed by foreign handlers. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với mức chênh lệch giá thấp nhất IC Markets Đăng ký Undo Sources have also started examining her phone and social media accounts, while forensic experts continue analysing Jasbir's digital devices. Preliminary findings from Jasbir's laptop indicate that several applications were installed by an IAS officer, now under scrutiny. After the recent arrest of Haryana-based social media influencer Jyoti Malhotra, Jasbir allegedly deleted multiple applications from his system — a move investigators believe was an attempt to erase incriminating evidence. A forensics team is working to recover the deleted data, which could lead to further breakthroughs. One of the most alarming discoveries came from Jasbir's mobile phone, which contained over 150 contacts, many allegedly linked to Pakistan's ISI and army officers. According to investigators, Jasbir frequently communicated with these individuals. He was reportedly encouraged to create and promote content that portrayed Pakistan positively and to influence Indian youth through his platform. "Jasbir was advised by his handlers to bring more young Indians into the fold," said a senior police official on the pretext of anonymity. "Danish, in particular, was keen on expanding his network by including more women," he said. With multiple leads emerging from Jasbir's confession and digital trail, the SSOC continues to probe deeper into what could be part of a larger espionage and propaganda network operating across borders.
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Time of India
'Sever relations': Bioterror arrests spark alarm; US CCP expert warns China planning ‘something worse than Covid'
Gordon Chang talks to Fox Digital (Screengrab from video on X) In light of recent arrests of two alleged "bioterrorists" in Michigan, an expert has advocated for complete disengagement from diplomatic relations with China, warning that they might be hit with 'something worse than Covid'. "The only way to stop this is to sever relations with China," attorney and Chinese Communist Party expert Gordon Chang told Fox News Digital. "And I know people think that's drastic, but we are being overwhelmed, and we are going to get hit. And we are going to get hit really hard. Not just with Covid, not just with fentanyl, but perhaps with something worse." Chang addressed the recent case involving Chinese nationals Yunqing Jian, 33, and her partner Zunyong Liu, 34. The pair allegedly conducted unauthorised research on Fusarium graminearum in American laboratories whilst smuggling it into the country over two years. Jian held a post-doctoral research position at the University of Michigan, with her studies partially supported by funding from the People's Republic of China. The Department of Justice describes Fusarium graminearum as a harmful fungus causing "head blight" in wheat, barley, maize and rice crops, resulting in annual global economic losses worth billions. The substance poses risks to human health, potentially causing vomiting, liver damage and reproductive complications in humans and animals. "This couple should be sent to Guantánamo," Chang said. "This Chinese government has declared a 'People's War' on us." A "People's War" refers to a military strategy established by former Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong, who passed away in 1976. His leadership resulted in numerous deaths through famine and political persecution. This strategy involves sustained military and political pressure designed to wear down opponents. The authorities have charged Jian and Liu with conspiracy, smuggling, false statements and visa fraud. "We're Americans, so we think we're entitled to ignore the propaganda of hostile regimes," Chang said. "But for a communist party, [a People's War] has great resonance, and what they're doing with their strident anti-Americanism is creating a justification to strike our country," he added. "This means, for example, that this couple should be sent to Guantánamo," he added. "This was an attack on the United States at a time when China thought it was at war with us," he further said. In recent years, several incidents have raised concerns about Chinese espionage in the US. Chinese nationals and students have been caught illegally entering military bases, photographing sensitive sites, and attempting to steal trade secrets. Cases include breaches at a Key West naval station (2020), spying at Camp Grayling (2024), and drone surveillance of naval bases by a University of Minnesota student (2025). Separately, Harvard professor Charles Lieber was convicted in 2021 for hiding ties to China's Thousand Talents Program. Commentator Gordon Chang warned that such actions, including suspicious seed distributions, signal ongoing threats to US security. Former FBI supervisory special agent, told Fox News Digital, "Imagine walking into your local grocery store and seeing empty shelves where bread, cereal, and even pet food used to be," Jason Pack, "Prices spike. Supply chains slow down. All because a foreign actor deliberately targeted the crops that keep America fed. That may sound far-fetched, but it's exactly the kind of scenario that becomes possible when someone brings a dangerous agricultural pathogen into the United States. "It doesn't take a bomb to disrupt an economy. It takes a biological agent like Fusarium graminearum introduced into the wrong place at the wrong time. Food prices rise. Livestock suffer. Exports stop. The economic ripple effects are enormous," he said.
New Indian Express
13 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Satellite proof debunks Pakistan's fake strikes' claims on Indian air bases after Operation Sindoor
In the aftermath of India's precision military campaign, Operation Sindoor, Pakistan ramped up a disinformation campaign, falsely claiming successful strikes on Indian airbases at Adampur in Punjab and Bhuj in Gujarat. However, multiple independent satellite imagery reviews have exposed Islamabad's assertions as fabrications. At the centre of the fact-checking campaign is Damien Symon, a top Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) analyst, who has systematically debunked each claim. His analysis revealed that Pakistan used outdated images, misrepresented routine maintenance as battle damages on Indian forces. Adampur air base: The 'damaged Sukhoi' Pakistani reports had claimed that a China-made JF-17 fighter jet damaged a Sukhoi Su-30 at the Indian Air Force's Adampur air base during the four-day conflict last month. But Symon, using satellite imagery from March 2025, two months before the hostilities, showed that the jet in question was actually a MiG-29 undergoing maintenance. The dark patches Pakistan interpreted as burn marks were consistent with soot from regular engine testing.
