FIA arrests member of RAW sleeper cell in Karachi

KARACHI: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested a key operative of a sleeper cell of Indian prime intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), FIA officials said on Saturday.

“The anti-terrorism wing of the FIA has arrested Asif Siddiqui, a key member of RAW sleeper cell from Karachi,” officials said.

The arrested man was a Grade-17 government employee and was involved in sending information about security agencies to India in emails, officials claimed.

The accused was also sending photographs of sensitive security places and other details to India in emails, officials further said.

Asif Siddiqui was also involved in transfer of arms and ammunition, FIA officials said. “He is affiliated with MQM’s London group,” officials claimed.

The accused was employed at SITE in Karachi and the FIA further inquiring into the matter, officials said.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Police had recently claimed arresting Shahid Ilyas alias ‘Muttahida’ and two accomplices in Karachi allegedly affiliated with the Indian spy agency.

Additional Inspector General (AIG) Ghulam Nabi Memon in a press conference said that the arrested person identified as Shahid alias Muttahida is the head of RAW’s terror wing.

Memon detailed that police forces conducted separate raids on a tip-off and arrested the terrorist and his two accomplices for running a terror network linked with RAW in Karachi. Besides making the arrest, the raid team also recovered two mortar launchers, nine rocket launchers, rockets, hand grenades and modern weaponry from their possession.

“The accused person is connected with the RAW network to carry out terrorism activities in Karachi. Shahid Ilyas is associated with Muttahida Qaumi Movement London (MQM-L). He received money through Hawala Hundi from India, whereas, these people are also involved in distributing money to other terrorists.”

While making more revelations about the terror network, AIG Memon said that the accused persons were involved in providing intel-based information to a person traced as Mehmood Siddiqui in India.