Pak agent held with secret defence papers

A Pakistani agent was arrested in Ludhiana on Tuesday night with secret Indian Air Force documents and their official codes and passwords.

What is more shocking is that the Pakistani has been living in India for four years, and has made several trips to Pakistan using his Indian passport. He even has a bank account in Jalandhar, which has been receiving hawala money for the spying operations, and a valid Indian driving licence.

Terming the arrest as a major breakthrough, Senior Superintendent of Police Dinkar Gupta said on Wednesday that only half a dozen such resident agents have been arrested in the last 50 years.

The official also told the media that Daniel Masih, who hailed from Okara district of Pakistan, was operating under seven pseudonyms -- Robert, Peter, Peter Parkash, Sahid Hussain Bhatt, Sayed Sahid Hussain and Muzzambal Ahmed. He was working for Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency.

Before his arrival in New Delhi by Samjhauta Express in 1993, Masih was given a year-long training in counter-espionage work in Pakistan besides being briefed about IAF and its command structure. He also learnt Hindi.

As part of the induction programme, the former salesman in a chemical shop in Lahore also worked as a barber and a hawker.

Once in Delhi, he first set up base in Yamunanagar. Later, he lived at various North Indian cities like Ambala, Jalandhar and Ludhiana. At Ambala, Masih worked on a white washing job at the IAF base.

The accused may have developed rapport with several IAF officials as "he had been successful in approaching, inspecting and moving around prohibited areas of different airfields".

Gupta said Masih had been making sketches, plans, models and notes of forward airbases and IAF stations. He has been procuring information and documents sought by his masters in Pakistan.

As more ''shocking disclosures'' are likely to made by the accused, Gupta said the IAF authorities at Ambala, Halwara and Adampur have been alerted.

UNI