J&K youth arrested for espionage, says he worked for ISI

A 22-year-old youth, who is believed to have been on the payroll of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), was caught by a joint operation of military intelligence (MI) unit along with a special operations group (SOG) of Jammu Kashmir Police.

The youth, Sehran Sheikh, believes his brother Tauseef died in 2016 because of the police. Sources say that Tauseef fell off a cliff during a chase and plunged to his death.

Two years later, Sehran was picked up from his residence on the night of December 6 on charges of espionage.

IG, Jammu, SD Singh Jamwal confirmed the arrest. "We have arrested the suspect and some incriminating evidence has been found against him. He has been in touch with Pakistan terror groups, and sending pictures and videos of defence establishments over WhatsApp," he said.

The arrest has shed significant light on Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) trying hard to revive terrorism in Kishtwar.

Though cops have ruled out any link between the two, sources say Sheikh, in one WhatsApp conversation, agreed to launch a terror attack.

He wrote "If you want, I will give you 50 men, just ensure weapons reach me".

According to sources, Sheikh developed a strong desire to join terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), reportedly to avenge the alleged killing of his brother.

Inputs suggest that Sheikh, at the time of his arrest, was in the process of trying to identify vulnerable security force targets and was planning attacks on the same with the help of aides after procuring AK Rifles and Grenades.

It was learnt that the youth had identified certain CRPF personnel deployed in pairs or solo to attempt snatching weapons from them.

The MI unit received inputs that Sehran Sheikh was involved in espionage activities and had been passing sensitive information including photos and videos of locations and layouts of security forces' camps to his handler in Pakistan.

The inputs were shared with the SOG of Jammu and the suspect was constantly monitored. The SOG official found that the suspect is a strong terror sympathiser and was associated with certain over ground workers (OGWs).

A joint operation was planned with the SOG, Jammu and District Police Kishtawar, and a joint operation was launched on the night of December 6 to nab the suspect from his residence.

On seeing the team, the suspect tried to escape by jumping from the rear window of his house. However the alert team managed to apprehend the suspect and recover his mobile phone.

Sehran Sheikh is currently in the custody of Kishtawar Police. Sources say Sheikh has accepted that he maintained communication via a Pakistani number and had passed on certain information, photos and videos in exchange for money.

His reported involvement in espionage/ terror related activities are being ascertained by police authorities through questioning and examination of recovered devices.

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