‘Shoaib had visited Pakistan half-a-dozen times’

A day after Shoaib was arrested by Crime Branch from Rajasthan in connection with the espionage racket, it was learnt that he had visited Pakistan more than half a dozen times in the last four years, sources said.

Shoaib is a resident of Jodhpur and works as a Visa agent. He was in direct touch with 

Mehmood Akhtar, a former Pakistani Army official, who was currently an ISI agent. “Shoaib was given the task to hire people who can spy and provide security related information,” one of the sources added.

He had hired Maulana Ramzan Khan, alias Hazrat, and trained him. He come in contact with Khan about one-and- a-half-years back and lured him to collect information about the installations of Army and paramilitary forces in Gujarat and Rajasthan, police said. 

The duo will be quizzed together during face-to-face interrogation. Shoaib was arrested from Rajasthan on Thursday and was brought to Delhi on Friday. The city court has sent him to 11 days police remand.

Akhtar was allegedly trying to gather information on armed forces’ deployments in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa, for a terrorist attack similar to the 26/11 attacks.

His father, whose identity has not been disclosed, is also working as Visa agent in Rajasthan from more than 20 years. 

However, it is yet to be ascertained, his connection in the espionage racket. Meanwhile, during interrogation of Shoaib it has been learnt that to hide his professional identity on the social networking site, he claims that he is a BJP worker, sources said.

During interrogation, he also told police that when the team of Crime Branch had apprehended Ramzan, Akhtar and Subhash Jangir, he was in the city itself. 

He was staying in a hotel in Chandni Chowk and after learning about their arrest, he immediately fled. Meanwhile, all three accused are being intensively quizzed.