Uttar Pradesh ATS Arrests Gonda Man Raees For Spying On Indian Military Establishments For Pakistan's ISI

A man named Mohammed Raees has been apprehended by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) for his alleged affiliation with Pakistan-based Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

The UP ATS on Sunday (16 July) revealed that Raees had been supplying crucial information about Indian military establishments to his handlers in Pakistan.

According to the police, Raees, a resident of Gonda's Tarabganj area, came into contact with an individual named Armaan while working in Mumbai. Raees stated that Armaan attempted to incite him by claiming oppression of the Muslim community in India.

During the investigation, Raees claimed that he had expressed his desire to work in Saudi Arabia to Armaan. Subsequently, Armaan provided Raees' contact information to an individual in Pakistan and persuaded him to engage in espionage against India. Raees was promised a substantial sum of money in exchange for carrying out these tasks.

In 2022, Raees received a phone call from a foreign number, with the caller identifying himself as Hussain, a Pakistani spy. Raees was assigned the task of gathering information about military cantonments and establishments. He also involved his friend and several others in this espionage operation. In return, Raees received Rs 15,000 from Pakistani spies.

Based on surveillance and a tip-off, the UP ATS found Raees' activities suspicious and summoned him for questioning at the ATS headquarters in Lucknow.

Prashant Kumar, Special DG (Law and Order), stated, "Raees, a resident of Gonda, was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS). He was summoned to the ATS headquarters here and during interrogation, he confessed to his involvement in spying."

An FIR has been filed against Raees at the Lucknow ATS police station under IPC sections 121 A (waging or attempting to wage war) and 123 (concealing with intent to facilitate the design to wage war), as well as under the Official Secrets Act, 1923.