Nuh Police, in a joint operation with a central agency, arrested a local quack, Mohammad Tarif, for allegedly spying, and leaking intelligence information about military activities to Pakistan.
This is the second arrest from Nuh. Two days ago, Arman was arrested on the same charges, police said on Monday. Tarif is a resident of the Kangarka village in the Nuh district.
'Tarif's confession'
Tarif has allegedly confessed to giving a SIM card to an employee at the Pakistan High Commission and going to Pakistan, they added.
He then subsequently became an intermediary, directing additional Indian clients to the Pakistan Information Office (PIO). Both he and the PIO allegedly charged ₹15,000 per visa. The final task for Tarif was to send photographs of the Indian defence establishments, for which he was promised a substantial sum in lakhs, as per to Tarif's alleged confession video, which went viral.
A case has been registered against Mohammad Tarif and two Pakistani citizens -- Asif Baloch and Zafar -- posted at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi under Section 152 of the BNS and sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act at the Sadar Tauru police station.
According to police sources, a tip-off was received that Tarif has been allegedly sending sensitive information related to the Indian Army and defense preparations to Pakistan for a long time. He used to ask people to get visas to go to Pakistan.
'Tried to delete some evidence'
The accused was taken into custody late Sunday evening near the Bawla village. Before being taken into custody, Tarif tried to delete some chats on his mobile after seeing the police team. Two mobile phones were recovered from his possession, said an official, according to the PTI.
Investigation revealed that some data from a Pakistani WhatsApp number was found deleted from his mobile phone. It also revealed chats, photos, videos and pictures of military activities from Pakistani numbers, which he had sent to a phone number in Pakistan.
'Constant touch with Pakistan'
"He was in constant touch with Pakistani numbers through two different SIM cards. The investigation teams are questioning the accused," said a senior investigating officer.
Investigation revealed that some data from his mobile phone from a Pakistani WhatsApp number was found deleted. Investigation of his mobile phone allegedly revealed chats, photos, videos and pictures of military activities from Pakistani numbers. He was allegedly in constant touch with Pakistani numbers through two different SIM cards, he added.
We have taken the accused on seven days of remand, and are questioning him, said Harinder Kumar, DSP (headquarters) of Nuh.