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New Delhi: A Pakistani spy and his Bangladeshi conduit have been sentenced to five years in jail by a Delhi court for indulging in espionage activities against the country.
"Both accused are sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for a term of five years," Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Rajneesh Kumar said, while sentencing Mohd Muzaffar Khan?of Pakistan and Bangladeshi national Ali Rehman Jalal, nabbed in 2006 by Special Cell sleuths of Delhi Police with several sensitive and restricted military documents.
"I am?of?the?opinion?that?the accused?persons?have collected `offending documents`?for?a?purpose?detrimental to? the safety and interests of the country," the ASJ had held earlier, while convicting the duo on espionage charges.
The two were also convicted on charges of illegally staying in the country.
Police had arrested Madaripur native Jalal from south-west Delhi along with maps of cantonment area having markings with pencil in Urdu. A detailed diagram of information exchange and telephone exchange network of cantonment was also recovered among other documents.
Jalal during interrogation had told the Special Cell sleuths that the "restricted" documents were handed to him by Aslam who had asked him to hand them over to somebody in Bangladesh.
The Special Cell later arrested Aslam, who was found to be Pakistani national Mohd. Muzaffar Khan from Karachi. He was residing in India under the fake name of Aslam and had managed to procure various documents like driving license, passport, PAN card and ATM card in his fake name.
The two were chargesheeted for spying, illegally staying in India, hatching criminal conspiracy and committing forgery under various provisions of the Official Secrets Act, the Foreigners Act and the India Penal Code.
The prosecution had examined 26 witnesses, including several army personnel and an erstwhile Parliamentarian to prove the case against them.
Lieutenant Colonel K S Kanwar (Intelligence), in his deposition, told the court that "the documents recovered from the accused were restricted ones and can be used by the enemy country to harm the security, sovereignty and integrity of the state."
Another witness, erstwhile MP Ajay Chakravorty from 24 Pargana (North) in West Bengal, had told the court that the residence certificate issued on his letter head that Jalal had been using had been issued by him to a local native Ali Rakman Gazi.
"It has also been proved that the accused Mohd.
Muzaffar Khan has forged the driving licence and the PAN and was residing in India under changed name. It has been proved that both accused were residing in India unauthorisedly," the ASJ had said.
