New Delhi: Intelligence agencies busted a spy ring which had been planning a terror attack in Delhi. Agencies worked in coordination for at least 3 months to thwart an attempted strike by the ISI in the national capital, reported the Times of India.
Two arrested in case
Reports said that following the operation 2 individuals have been arrested by the intelligence agencies, both of whom are highly trained. One of those arrested has been identified as Ansarul Miya Ansari, who is reportedly a Pakistani operative. He was sent to India to gather sensitive information about the armed forces.
The probe also indicated the possible involvement of some staff members of the Pakistani High Commission in espionage activity. The agencies believe that ISI officers Muzammil and Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, who were in touch with several YouTubers from India and trying to cultivate them as assets were also involved in the terror plot.
The operation kicked off with a tip to the agencies, regarding a spy landing in India, via Nepal. The ISI had reportedly sent the person to collect sensitive information in the form of documents and pictures. Upon further probe, agencies found that the spy was to collect sensitive information, including classified documents of the armed forces, which would then be used in the terror attack in Delhi.
But despite the information having reached them in January, intelligence officials had to wait till mid-February to make any further moves on the matter. Sources, quoted by the Times of India, said that the alleged ISI agent reached Delhi and had even collected confidential military documents.
Agencies then set a trap on February 15 and managed to arrest Ansari from central Delhi. The man was reportedly ready to return to Pakistan via Nepal with all classified documents which he had managed to collect in India. He was later handed over to the police and has been booked under relevant laws, for possessing and attempting to supply confidential documents related to the Indian Armed Forces to his Pakistani handlers. He has been booked under the Officials Secrets Act.
Apart from Ansari, police have also booked a resident of Ranchi, Akhlaque Azam. He is accused of providing logistic support to Ansari in India. Both these men were in continuous contact with their Pakistani handlers. Their conversations were intercepted and these were said to be both suspicious and intriguing. Ansari was arrested in March.
After analysing their mobile, the police found that they had been in constant touch with their Pakistani handlers. A chargesheet has been filed against both the accused, even as investigations continue, to uncover other individuals if any involved in the terror conspiracy. The trial may commence shortly, as the court is said to have taken cognizance of the chargesheet.
The 2 men are lodged in Delhi’s high security Tihar jail as of now. Police are keeping watch over them and minimizing their interaction with other inmates. so that they are not able to brainwash them.
Who is Ansarul Miya Ansari?
Ansarul Miya Ansari is a Nepal national, who claimed to have been working in Qatar since 2008. He was a taxi driver there. It was during his stay in Qatar that he became involved with the ISI. He was reportedly recruited into the terror organisation by an ISI operative.
He reportedly told his interrogators in India that the driving force behind joining the ISI was initially money. Later he was brainwashed into working for the “larger cause”. He was sent to Pakistan’s Rawalpindi to meet his handlers. The man reached Pakistan in June 2024, where he met a high-ranking Army official. In Pakistan, Ansari was radicalised by discussing issues like the Babri Masjid demolition and the implementation of the CAA/NRC. He was also trained in espionage and tasked with bringing classified documents from Delhi.
As of now, the India agencies and the police are interrogating him to get more information on the entire terror network and the planned attack.
