M A I N   N E W S

HP cops bust ISI module, retired Armyman arrested
Tribune News Service

Panchkula/Shimla, Jan 31 
Following surveillance of several ex-servicemen, the Himachal Pradesh Police has busted a neat network built up by Pakistan’s ISI to collect intelligence on the movement, morale and activities in Indian cantonments.

The HP Police picked up an ex-serviceman, identified as Ghanshyam Singh Guleria, from Chandimandir, Headquarters of the Western Command, on Monday. He is the third person in the chain to have been arrested by the HP Police, which earlier arrested Bhagwan Das, another ex-serviceman, and a resident of Mandi, Amrik Singh, who is accused of transferring money into the bank accounts of ex-servicemen’s relatives. Sources in the police claimed that surveillance had been mounted on 10 ex-servicemen, seven of them residing in Punjab and Delhi and the rest residing in Himachal Pradesh after their retirement.

While Panchkula police was not taken into confidence before Guleria was picked up and taken away for interrogation, police sources claimed that the JCO had several clippings and important information about the Western Command in his possession.

Police suspect that the ISI has systematically been targeting ex-servicemen, who not only have access to cantonments but who are also in touch with serving officers and jawans.

Interception of telephone calls have led the police to conclude that the ex-servicemen were being approached by ‘Indians’, possibly also ex-servicemen, posing as working for various welfare agencies of the services. Military Intelligenge had also issued an advisory to ex-servicemen and cautioned them that they could be approached by other ex-servicemen for information. Guleria had retired last year but continued to reside in the cantonment. He also managed to get re-employment with the Army Postal Service. Similarly, Bhagwan Das had retired from the Army and was re-employed by the Animal Husbandry department of the Himachal Pradesh government.

Significantly, Bhagwan Das has been receiving calls from his handlers from a SIM card issued by an Indian telecom company but which had not yet been activated. Technical experts have been called in to unravel the mystery.