Image used for representation only.
The Rajasthan Police’s intelligence unit has arrested a State government employee on charges of spying for Pakistan. He had been under surveillance for suspicious activities for an extended period. The accused, Shakur Khan, was earlier detained on May 28 and subjected to an intensive interrogation by multiple agencies.
Khan, 49, working as an assistant administrative officer (AAO) at the district employment office in Jaisalmer, was allegedly passing sensitive and strategic information to his handlers in Pakistan. He obtained Pakistani visas on several occasions and travelled to Pakistan without reporting to higher authorities.
Inspector General of Police (Security) Vishnu Kant said here on Tuesday that Khan was in regular contact with some individuals working at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, especially Ahsan-ur-Rahim, alias Danish, and Sohail Qamar. Danish was declared persona non grata by the Union government last month and was asked to leave India immediately.
“During his visits to Pakistan, Khan came in contact with the agents of the Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI). He collected sensitive information after returning to India and transmitted it to his Pakistani handlers through WhatsApp and other social media platforms,” Mr. Kant said in a statement. Khan had access to sensitive documents while working in the border district of Jaisalmer.
Since the matter constituted a serious security breach, a case was registered under the Official Secrets Act, 1923, and Khan was arrested, Mr. Kant said. A court in Jaipur, where Khan was produced under strict security on Tuesday, remanded him to police custody for seven days.
Pakistani contacts
As per the first information report, Khan had several Pakistani phone numbers saved in his three mobile phones, which have been seized and sent for technical analysis. He allegedly shared strategically important videos and images with his handlers on these numbers, but this material had been deleted.
A native of Mangliyon Ki Dhani hamlet in Jaisalmer district’s Badoda Gaon village, Khan served as a personal assistant to former Minister Saleh Mohammed during the previous Congress regime. Khan’s association with Mr. Mohammed has led to a political controversy since his detention.
Pradesh Congress Committee president Govind Singh Dotasra said being a personal assistant to a Minister did not constitute a valid ground to implicate the Minister or his family in a crime. “We have nothing to do with any criminal or anti-national activity. If the police have received some inputs, they should investigate and take action against the accused,” Mr. Dotasra said.
Published – June 04, 2025 02:13 am IST
