A Pakistani diplomat based in Colombo has been named in the First Information Report (FIR) in the espionage case busted by the Tamil Nadu police by arresting his alleged “contact” in Tamil Nadu on Monday, the police said.
“The FIR has the name of Amir Zubair Siddiqui, who is a diplomat based in the Pakistan high commission at Colombo. This was done on the basis of the statement given to us by Thamim Ansari”, inspector general (internal security) Abash Kumar told this newspaper.
He said more information about the espionage module and the role of Siddiqui would be known during the questioning of Ansari by the special team of the state ‘Q’ branch police. Ansari was arrested by a ‘Q’ team while driving to the Trichy airport to catch the Colombo flight to deliver CDs of military establishments to Siddiqui through his Lankan contacts identified as Haji and Shaji living in Colombo, who are also included in the FIR. The Pakistani high commission website has listed Siddiqui as fourth ranking in the mission and shown as counselor (visa), but police here believe he is a senior official of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
A court in Tiruchi on Friday evening allowed custodial questioning of Ansari by ‘Q’ branch for one day.
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Vaiko, supporters arrested
Bhopal, Sept. 21: MDMK general secretary Vaiko was on Thursday arrested when he and nearly 750 of his supporters tried to move from Gadchicholi to Sanchi to protest Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s visit.
Police said they were arrested for disrupting peace and would be released soon.
“Vaiko has been arrested along with nearly 750 supporters. They have been booked under 151 of CrPC (disrupting peace),” inspector general (Jabalpur range) Madhu Kumar told PTI.
Mr Vaiko along with his hundred of supporters were protesting in Gadchicholi near Pandhurna at the Madhya Pradesh-Maharashtra border against Rajapaksa’s visit and alleging the Sri Lankan leader of atrocities against Tamils in the island nation.
“Mr Vaiko and his supporters would be released by late evening,” Mr Kumar said.
Mr Rajapaksa on Friday laid the foundation stone for Sanchi University of Buddhist and Indic Studies, about 45 km from here. — PTI