Rajasthan government employee arrested over suspicion of spying for Pakistan

A Rajasthan state government employee was arrested in Jaisalmer on suspicion of spying for Pakistan on Wednesday night (May 28), according to reports.

According to the officials, the man who has been identified as Shakur Khan, works in the district employment office, was held by an intelligence department team.

Phone numbers related to Islamabad were found on Shakur's mobile phone. During the preliminary interrogation, Shakur Khan has confessed that he had travelled to Pakistan at least six-seven times in recent years, according to the officials.

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"There were inputs about Shakur Khan that he could be involved in spying for Pakistan. He was on surveillance following inputs and was detained last night," an official was quoted saying to news agency PTI.

Several reports also suggest that Shakur Khan was on duty in the district administration's control room during Operation Sindoor. He has been taken to Jaipur where the central agencies will question him in detail.

Shakur will now be questioned by central intelligence agencies in Jaipur to unfold the extent of his alleged involvement and whether he was part of a broader spy network.

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Since the Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor, Indian security agencies have started a crackdown on the alleged Pakistan-linked spy network operating in India and have arrested at least a dozen people from different states. Those arrested included Haryana resident and famous YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra.

SP Sudhir Chaudhary said that the investigation started following alerts from higher headquarters over some suspicious activities. "We are verifying all the facts and conducting an investigation," he said.