How a Pak spy got an Indian passport
18 May 2012 4:52 AM GMT
Investigations into an Official Secrets Act case done by the Delhi police has exposed the existing loopholes in procuring government identification documents in the country. Delhi police, while probing the case of a Pakistani spy, came across one such blunder wherein the passport of the spy was procured on the recommendations of an IAS officer.
In the charge-sheet filed by the Delhi police's crime branch in the court of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Vinod Yadav, against the suspected Pakistani spy, Kamran Akbar, alias Attar alias Asif Hussain, the investigating officials have mentioned that the passport of the accused was referred (officer's original DO letter was attached) by a high-ranking official of the Department of Water Resources Investigation and Development (WRID) in the Government of West Bengal. The officer's name is Ratna Guha.
Kamran was apprehended by a crime branch team on 13 February from Chelmsford Road near the New Delhi railway station allegedly in possession of sensitive defense documents.
The charge-sheet clearly states that joint secretary, WRID, Ratna Guha, referred the passport of the accused. 'Kamran told us that to make his Tatkal passport, he had approached one agent identified as D N Sarkar and gave him Rs 16,500 to make his passport. When the details of that passport were scrutinised it was found out that she had referred the same,' the police mentioned in their charge-sheet.
However, mystery still shrouds on the involvement of the agent and the officer. 'While Sarkar is absconding, we have not been able to come in contact with Guha as she was transferred from that post. We have been sending letters to the government of West Bengal seeking permission and new posting of the officer, but we haven't got a reply till now,' the officers said.
Sources in the Delhi police said they want to probe the case further and will question Guha in connection with the case. 'We are looking forward to question her. We couldn't do it as we did not have enough information and very little time because we had to file the charge-sheet,' the investigating officer stated.
WHO IS KAMRAN?
Kamran, who hails from Karachi, had come to India first in 1992 after leaving his studies. He came to Kolkata in 1992 on a valid Pakistani passport to meet one of his relatives. He overstayed in Kolkata with his uncle Mohammed Salim. He, along with his uncle and his associate, identified as Ashraf Khan, went to Goa. In Goa, they started committing robberies but in one of their attempts, they were caught.
In 1996, he was released and came back to Kolkata. As his Pakistani passport was not valid, he arranged a fake Indian passport made in the name of Asif Hussain to go back to Pakistan in 2004. There he was intercepted by the Pakistan military intelligence and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) who recruited him in October 2004.
Later, on a new Pakistani passport, Kamran entered Nepal via Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 2007 where he was provided a fake driving license of Sikar in Rajasthan and 400 US dollars. After reaching Kathmandu, he illegally entered India and reached Kolkata. Since 2007, he was spying for Pakistan while residing in Kolkata.
In 2009, he married a local woman and is now the father of two children and also has a business of garment selling.
In 2012, Kamran had come to the capital from Kolkata on 13 February morning to collect a few incriminating documents, which were to be sent to his handlers in Pakistan. He was caught by Delhi cops.
In the charge-sheet filed by the Delhi police's crime branch in the court of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Vinod Yadav, against the suspected Pakistani spy, Kamran Akbar, alias Attar alias Asif Hussain, the investigating officials have mentioned that the passport of the accused was referred (officer's original DO letter was attached) by a high-ranking official of the Department of Water Resources Investigation and Development (WRID) in the Government of West Bengal. The officer's name is Ratna Guha.
Kamran was apprehended by a crime branch team on 13 February from Chelmsford Road near the New Delhi railway station allegedly in possession of sensitive defense documents.
The charge-sheet clearly states that joint secretary, WRID, Ratna Guha, referred the passport of the accused. 'Kamran told us that to make his Tatkal passport, he had approached one agent identified as D N Sarkar and gave him Rs 16,500 to make his passport. When the details of that passport were scrutinised it was found out that she had referred the same,' the police mentioned in their charge-sheet.
However, mystery still shrouds on the involvement of the agent and the officer. 'While Sarkar is absconding, we have not been able to come in contact with Guha as she was transferred from that post. We have been sending letters to the government of West Bengal seeking permission and new posting of the officer, but we haven't got a reply till now,' the officers said.
Sources in the Delhi police said they want to probe the case further and will question Guha in connection with the case. 'We are looking forward to question her. We couldn't do it as we did not have enough information and very little time because we had to file the charge-sheet,' the investigating officer stated.
WHO IS KAMRAN?
Kamran, who hails from Karachi, had come to India first in 1992 after leaving his studies. He came to Kolkata in 1992 on a valid Pakistani passport to meet one of his relatives. He overstayed in Kolkata with his uncle Mohammed Salim. He, along with his uncle and his associate, identified as Ashraf Khan, went to Goa. In Goa, they started committing robberies but in one of their attempts, they were caught.
In 1996, he was released and came back to Kolkata. As his Pakistani passport was not valid, he arranged a fake Indian passport made in the name of Asif Hussain to go back to Pakistan in 2004. There he was intercepted by the Pakistan military intelligence and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) who recruited him in October 2004.
Later, on a new Pakistani passport, Kamran entered Nepal via Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 2007 where he was provided a fake driving license of Sikar in Rajasthan and 400 US dollars. After reaching Kathmandu, he illegally entered India and reached Kolkata. Since 2007, he was spying for Pakistan while residing in Kolkata.
In 2009, he married a local woman and is now the father of two children and also has a business of garment selling.
In 2012, Kamran had come to the capital from Kolkata on 13 February morning to collect a few incriminating documents, which were to be sent to his handlers in Pakistan. He was caught by Delhi cops.
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