Kolkata man married to Pak woman arrested for spying for Pakistan intel

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a Kolkata resident for allegedly spying for Pakistan Intelligence Officers (PIOs) and passing confidential security-related information as part of an anti-India terror conspiracy.

The accused, Zafar Riaz alias Rizvi, was arrested after authorities had issued a Look-Out Circular against him. Proceedings were also underway to declare him a Proclaimed Offender (PO) when the agency took him into custody.

The NIA said it booked Zafar under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Official Secrets Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. According to the agency, Zafar is married to a Pakistani national and his children are Pakistani citizens.

Investigators revealed that Zafar had earlier been convicted in an espionage case under the Indian Penal Code and the Official Secrets Act. The NIA said he had travelled frequently between India and Pakistan since 2005.

During one of his visits to Pakistan, Pakistan Intelligence Officers allegedly contacted and cultivated him to carry out espionage activities in India in exchange for financial inducements and the promise of Pakistani citizenship.

The agency alleged that Zafar provided One-Time Passwords (OTPs) linked to Indian telecom mobile numbers to a PIO to help activate WhatsApp accounts. The PIO allegedly used those accounts to secretly communicate with another accused, Motiram Jat, in the case.

According to the NIA, Motiram Jat was also involved in passing sensitive security-related information to the PIO.

The agency said it is continuing its investigation in case to identify other people linked to the espionage network and uncover the larger conspiracy behind the operation.

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